Ryan Clark‘s seat on “Monday Night Countdown,” ESPN’s pregame show that precedes “Monday Night Football,” did not remain empty for long.
Jason McCourty, the former NFL defensive back who transitioned to media once his playing career ended after the 2021 season, will join the desk alongside host Scott Van Pelt and analysts Jason Kelce and Marcus Spears.
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McCourty and ESPN reached a deal earlier this year that exclusively kept him at ESPN. He co-hosted “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network (now owned by ESPN) for a stretch beginning in 2022 and joined the “Worldwide Leader” as a contributor in 2024. He was a color analyst for NFL games for CBS and called “Thursday Night Football” games on national radio for Westwood One.
Clark, who had a full-time role on the “Countdown” desk since 2023 when the show was reimagined with Van Pelt as host, was part of the network’s high-profile layoffs last month. His firing, though – coming in the middle of a “NFL Live” show – compelled many to question the network’s handling of the moves.
BUMBACA: Inside ESPN’s decision to tell Ryan Clark he’d be laid off during live show
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McCourty played 13 seasons in the NFL, eight of them with the Tennessee Titans. He won Super Bowl 53 with the New England Patriots alongside his twin brother, Devin McCourty, who is an analyst for NBC’s “Football Night in America” on Sunday nights.
NFL fans now have a double-dose of McCourtys in prime time on back-to-back nights this season.
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Jason McCourty speaks during the NFLPA press conference in advance of Super Bowl LIX at the New Orleans Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jason McCourty joins ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Countdown’ to fill Ryan Clark’s seat
