Report: Colin Cowherd, ESPN met prior to host re-signing with Fox Sports

There was reportedly another attempt by ESPN to bring back Colin Cowherd to their airwaves, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. Cowherd met with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro in Los Angeles ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

However, Cowherd opted to re-sign with Fox Sports, where he’s been since 2015. Marchand reported it was a three-year deal worth millions, although the exact figure is still unknown.

Cowherd was with ESPN from 2004-15 as a radio host, replacing Tony Kornheiser in the 10 AM ET to 1 PM ET timeslot. His show was eventually simulcasted on television like it is at Fox Sports.

Cowherd also co-hosted the original iteration of SportsNation from 2009-12 with Michele Beadle. After Cowherd and ESPN mutually parted ways in 2015, he signed a four-year deal with Fox Sports and has re-signed ever since.

“At Fox Sports, Cowherd competes in the afternoon TV time slot against ESPN’s simulcast of ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’” Marchand wrote. “Besides his daily show, Cowherd created his own podcast business, The Volume, which could have potentially been part of an ESPN deal. While Cowherd and McAfee fill similar roles, ESPN’s idea was to have both — showing how ESPN is trying to ramp up its platform when it offers its full-service direct-to-consumer offering this fall …

“ESPN’s goal when it goes direct-to-consumer is to combine its top games with an array of popular shows so subscribers — with cable or without — just turn to the app as its first destination for sports viewing, much the same way the network has been the go-to-channel on television for decades. Top personalities like McAfee and Stephen A. Smith may have their own panels when a viewer first opens the app. Cowherd would have, too, if he returned to ESPN.”

Colin Cowherd turned down ESPN return, network re-signs Rece Davis

Although these aren’t in the same role, Cowherd opted to stay at Fox Sports rather than return to ESPN. ESPN actually just re-signed long time College GameDay host Rece Davis to deal after Fox Sports pursued him for their college athletics coverage.

FOX reportedly made an “all-out effort” to get Davis away from ESPN and bring him to the network. However, he decided to stay with the Worldwide Leader.

“Davis has agreed to a new seven-year deal for tens of millions of dollars, according to sources briefed on the deal,” Marchand wrote. “The exact terms are unknown, but Davis accepted a slight hometown discount to remain at ESPN that will guarantee him lead hosting duties through the rest of the network’s College Football Playoff deal that runs until 2031-32. (The 59-year-old) has been with ESPN for three decades …

“On ‘Big Noon Kickoff,’ Davis would have replaced host Rob Stone. Davis would have also led the Men’s World Cup in 2026 and would have called college basketball for Fox. Fox already stole two ‘GameDay’ stalwarts in recent years: reporter Tom Rinaldi and analyst/researcher Chris (Bear) Fallica. Urban Meyer, a fixture now on ‘Big Noon,’ was formerly on ‘GameDay,’ but had coaching stints between the networks.”