The most tangible indication yet regarding ESPN’s control over NFL Network happened on Thursday night.
NFL Network did not have its own schedule-release show.
Instead, the ESPN SportsCenter Special regarding the 2026 regular-season schedule was simulcast on NFL Network.
It’s no small thing. Less than two months after ESPN acquired the keys to NFL Network, it has opted not to let NFL Network produce and present its own schedule-release show on its own network.
The development comes after NFL Network produced and televised its own version of the 2026 NFL draft, despite the fact that both ESPN and ABC had their own version of the show. That decision created the impression that NFL Network will continue to do its own thing.
As of Thursday night, that’s not the case. And it’s fair to wonder what will happen next — and specifically whether NFL Network will continue to have its own Sunday morning pregame show once the 2026 season begins.
It’s our understanding that the current plan includes having two separate Sunday morning pregame offerings. Regardless, the decision to strip NFL Network of its schedule-release show underscores the reality that there’s a new reality for NFL Network.
One that will be determined not by the NFL but by ESPN.
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