Why ESPN dropped Ryan Clark mid-live broadcast: full story inside
Clark was drawing $2 million per season, under his latest contract, which he inked in February 2024
Published July 21, 2026
ESPN is laying off a cluster of employees after firing its on-air talent Ryan Clark mid-live broadcast, according to an NFL insider.
Clark’s decision came during an NFL Live broadcast on Monday, July 20, and he was removed from the show.
Former NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl-winning safety inked deal with ESPN as an NFL analyst in 2015.
Some media reports suggest the network earlier planned to inform Clark of his firing on Tuesday morning, with reportedly other layoffs.
According to The Athletic, the network feared media leaks would let Clark learn of his firing online before they could tell him directly.
ESPN and NFL are reportedly set to announce additional layoffs Tuesday, July 21, as part of a wider round of layoffs at Disney, which is a parent company of the network.
An NBA insider, Andrew Marchand, had earlier reported that Clark’s firing was on the cards since Super Bowl in February.
Clark was drawing $2 million per season, under his latest contract, which he inked in February 2024.
In over a decade at ESPN, Clark appeared as a regular analyst on some of the buzzing broadcasts on the network that include NFL Live, SportsCenter, and First Take.
