Tom Pelissero handed immediate return to NFL sidelines weeks after brutal ESPN axe

Tom Pelissero didn’t take long to find a new role after his surprise ESPN exit.

Just week after falling victim to the network’s summer shake up, he has a new gig with Netflix.

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“Tom Pelissero is joining Netflix Gameday as a sideline reporter and NFL insider for the full slate of games this season, starting with 49ers vs. Rams in Week 1 from Melbourne,” confirmed the streaming giant.

Pelissero will also co-host The Ringer NFL Show and contribute across other NFL podcasts, including a weekly appearance on Bill Simmons’ show.

The broadcaster had been with NFL Network since 2017 and was a key breaking news reporter.

Fellow insider Ian Rapoport’s multi-year extension appears to have paved the way for Pelissero’s exit after the Worldwide Leader in Sports purchased NFL Media.

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Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Damien Woody, Karl Ravech, and Bart Scott were among the other high-profile layoffs.

ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro addressed employees in a memo obtained by Business Insider.

“Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN,” Pitaro began.

“Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future.

“As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.

“While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted.

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“We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition.

“Even in moments like these, the strength of ESPN comes from our people, our teamwork and our shared mission to serve sports fans.”

ESPN handed Super Bowl honor

ESPN is airing its first ever Super Bowl this season and will be up again in 2030.

The next bit of business could by tying down Monday Night Football double act Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, who are both out of contract in 2027 and represented by Creative Artists Agency.

Aikman is closing out a five-year contract worth $90 million, while Buck earned $75 million over the same period.

They could both be due a sizeable increase, especially if CAA markets them as a package.