ESPN Removed Cris Carter From Their NFL Coverage

By Ryan Rosko | May 9, 2016

Jan 31, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings former wide receiver Cris Carter on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors award ceremony at Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

ESPN made some changes to their NFL coverage this fall and among the names that were involved was former Ohio State wide receiver Cris Carter.

Since the 2015 NFL season ended, ESPN started again to make changes. Those changes continued today, as the company removed former Ohio State and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter from their NFL coverage.

ESPN is also not bringing back former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. To replace those individuals, ESPN will be adding former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss.

In Carter’s three seasons at Ohio State (1984-1986), he caught 168 passes for 2,725 yards, and 27 touchdowns. During his NFL career, Carter is most known for his time with the Minnesota Vikings, but he also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. Carter accumulated 1,101 receptions for 13,899 yards, and 130 touchdowns.

Both Carter and Lewis had exception careers. Yet, both also have had their issues away from the field. They also have had their moments with various statements being mentioned since working for the ESPN company.

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Of the people who have been affiliated with ESPN’s coverage of the NFL, I can understand why they wanted to make the moves, but I would have kept Carter. I also would have kept former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka in his role from last season, rather than being demoted to a smaller role.

Instead, there are other people who I would have liked seen be replaced. Lewis was one of them. As analysts, each had a preference to their position, but Carter did a better job of breaking down the game, player(s), play(s), much better.

Now that Moss is coming to ESPN (after a stint with Fox), I am excited to see what he will do for his new employer. Like Carter and Lewis, Moss is not afraid to speak his mind. Moss is also an interesting replacement, as he also played alongside Carter in Minnesota for a number of years, before taking the reigns as the Vikings’ top target.

When football season is in session, I have my routine with watching ESPN’s College Gameday on Saturdays pending my travels for football reasons. However, for Sunday afternoons, if I had to pick one network to watch for a pregame, ESPN still brings a lot to the table, but I do not always feel inclined to choose them.

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In fact, the moves made today do not change my opinion of the company. The interesting part with this movement is seeing what ESPN does going forward and if Carter chooses to go elsewhere to express his knowledge of the game.

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