According to a report in the NY Daily News, longtime ESPN NFL analyst Tom Jackson will not return to the network for the upcoming NFL season.
Jackson, who has worked at ESPN for 28 years, is weighing his options on whether to return to "NFL Sunday Countdown".
The network's signature show has suffered significant upheaval in the past few years, losing Mike Ditka, Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter. Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson and Trent Difler have been added.
Longtime host Chris Berman will reportedly retire after the 2016 season.
It would be a blow to the stability and credibility of the network's NFL coverage. Jackson has always been a sea of calm in a tempest of blowhards, all trying to make a point by raising the volume. Jackson was analytical, critical and made sense every time he opened his mouth.
As the studio landscape changes, here's hoping T.J. sticks around for one more season to remind us what we'll all be missing.
