Awful Announcing has learned that Matthew Berry is unlikely to return to Football Night in America next season.
Berry joined NBC in August 2022 on a multi-year deal after 15 years at ESPN, where he left partly because the network wanted him to shut down his Fantasy Life brand as a condition of staying. NBC gave him room to build both, with a contributor role on Football Night in America, weekly and daily fantasy football shows on Peacock in Fantasy Football Happy Hour and Fantasy Football Pregame, an hour of his Sunday show picked up by NBC’s owned-and-operated affiliates in 11 major markets, and a formal partnership between Fantasy Life and NBC’s Rotoworld operation that went into effect in 2024.
In August, Berry ended his iconic 25-year Love/Hate column, citing the toll it took and a desire to refocus on what mattered to him outside of football.
His exit comes amid a significant reshaping of Football Night in America. Tony Dungy confirmed his departure from the show earlier this offseason, and Awful Announcing reported in February that Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth were also unlikely to return as NBC moved toward a streamlined set that would travel on location each week. This morning, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that Mike Tomlin has agreed to join NBC as the new centerpiece of the studio show alongside Maria Taylor, Jason Garrett, and Devin McCourty, with Mike Florio specifically noted as expected to return.
While Berry did not respond to multiple requests for comment, sources indicated to Awful Announcing that Berry’s contract has not yet expired and that discussions about his return are ongoing.
The door is not shut on Berry returning to NBC in some capacity, but any new deal would likely be a streamlined role that does not include weekly appearances on Football Night in America. With the NFL’s media rights now split across more platforms than ever and sports betting and fantasy football content only growing in demand, Berry is unlikely to be short on options heading into next season.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.