Michael Wilbon calls out ‘Get Up’ and ‘First Take’ for ‘nonsense’ narratives

Michael Wilbon’s ears must have been ringing this morning.

The Pardon the Interruption co-host took a shot at his own network Thursday, calling out the “nonsense” from Get Up and First Take about which quarterbacks face the most pressure entering 2025.

“I’m not hearing — and we kid because we love — any of the nonsense that I often hear on Get Up and First Take that ‘Caleb Williams is under the most pressure. Dak Prescott is under…’ No, they’re not!” Wilbon said during a segment about choosing between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. “The dudes who’ve been on-deck for years with the bat in their hands and never get the turn to play, they’re under the most pressure. Period.”

Wilbon wasn’t directly responding to ESPN’s Thursday morning hot take avalanche that kicked off the 2025 NFL season, but he also kind of was. His criticism landed hours after Dan Orlovsky dubbed Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts “the modern-day Bill Belichick and Tom Brady” and Ryan Clark declared that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning weren’t generational talents.

But it was the Caleb Williams pressure narrative — one pushed for weeks — that clearly bothered Wilbon most.

Orlovsky has been pushing the idea that Williams faces more pressure than any NFL player this season. During appearances on both Get Up and First Take, the former Detroit Lions backup QB  argued that Williams has no excuses not to succeed after the Bears hired Ben Johnson and upgraded their roster.

“I don’t think there’s a player in the NFL under more pressure than Caleb Williams,” Orlovsky said last month. “Because of the structure of the team, the new head coach and the past history that he’s accomplished.”

Wilbon isn’t buying it, and his logic is hard to argue with. Players, more specifically quarterbacks like Allen and Jackson, who have proven themselves but haven’t won championships, face more genuine pressure than a second-year player who’s still developing.

“I don’t even know if I can separate them in terms of Lamar from Josh, in terms of who’s under individually the most, but I’m gonna take Lamar Jackson in this game,” Wilbon said.

This isn’t the first time Wilbon has called out ESPN’s hot take culture. He’s previously criticized the network’s coverage of Bronny James, LeBron’s social media presence, and the expanded College Football Playoff. Wilbon has become something of an internal watchdog, willing to push back when he thinks the network’s morning shows are peddling “nonsense.”