The ESPN layoff wave hit another familiar name on Wednesday. Damien Woody, the two-time Super Bowl champion turned longtime NFL analyst, confirmed his 15-year run at the network is over.
Woody told Andrew Marchand of The Athletic that his contract was not renewed. He’ll remain on set through the end of August before officially leaving.
“Being at ESPN for 15 years, it’s been an absolute joy,” Woody said, via Marchand.
He was appreciative on the way out, but this is a rough call by ESPN. Woody had established himself as one of the more popular NFL voices on the network. He appeared on “Get Up,” “First Take,” “Fantasy Football Now,” and “SportsCenter.” He had a real audience.
Woody also has a real football pedigree. He was a first-round pick by the New England Patriots in 1999 and won Super Bowls with the Pats after the 2001 and 2003 seasons. He also played for the Lions and the Jets, wrapping up a 12-year NFL career in 2010.
Four years ago, Woody had a legit offer to leave ESPN for FS1. ESPN gave him a raise to keep him. Now, four years later, they’re letting him walk. That’s the network landscape in 2026 for you.
The Woody exit is part of a much bigger picture. ESPN has been slashing on-air talent all summer. Karl Ravech got the layoff announcement in July. Cam Newton was let go. Ryan Clark was cut loose. NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero was another casualty following the ESPN-NFL Network merger.
The merger is the key context here. When ESPN and NFL Network combined operations earlier this year, there was massive overlap in football coverage and personalities. Somebody was going to have to go, and the network has been methodically working through the roster.
For now, Ravech is still on the air and set to call the Little League World Series. So these decisions haven’t fully played out. But the trajectory is clear: ESPN is cutting big-name veteran talent and shifting resources elsewhere, likely toward streaming and digital.
What’s frustrating for viewers is that Woody actually did the thing you’re supposed to do in this job. He talked football. He didn’t try to become a hot-take machine or a partisan voice. He gave you real insight from a guy who played in the trenches and won at the highest level. That should be worth something.
Instead, that’s exactly the type of measured voice that gets cut when the budget shrinks. The louder, more polarizing personalities tend to survive network purges because they drive engagement, whether the takes are good or not.
Woody told Marchand he just wants to “talk ball” going forward. He’ll have options. FS1, CBS, and various digital media outlets will all have interest in a Super Bowl champion with 15 years of national TV experience and a strong audience relationship.
The bigger question is what ESPN looks like on the other side of this purge. The network is shedding institutional knowledge in football coverage at a rapid pace. Whatever comes next better be worth what they’re giving up.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
