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The show must go on. Less than a week after his departure was officially announced, NBC’s Football Night in America has found his replacement for Drew Brees.
The broadcasting giant is looking inward and hiring former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett as an analyst for NBC’s primetime pregame show, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand.
Garrett, 56, has played a starring role in the network’s coverage of the USFL this season and it seems he’s impressed NBC leadership enough to replace Brees.
Football Night in America attracted an average of 7.1 million viewers in 2021-22.
Here’s everything you need to know about Garrett’s upcoming presence on the popular pregame show.
Table of Contents
What is Jason Garrett’s new role on NBC?
According to Marchand, Garrett will be helming Football Night in America. The show is undergoing a small reshuffle in light of recent departures. Mike Tirico, who has hosted most of the show for the past five years, is promoted to “Sunday Night Football.” Longtime host Al Michaels left to join Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” package, which begins in the fall.
Garrett can take on more responsibility in the network. There was talk of Garrett taking Brees’ place as an analyst during the Notre Dame games. However, according to Marchand, no final decision has been made yet.
Jason Garrett’s Broadcasting Career
Garrett joined NBC in April 2022. He had previously served as the Giants’ offensive coordinator but was fired in November 2021 after poor results.
Garrett has worked as a USFL games analyst and has cycled with former NFL player Michael Robinson and current NFL player Cameron Jordan. Garrett has worked with Jac Collinsworth, co-host of Football Night in America.
Why did Drew Brees leave NBC?
Brees left in April, ending his year-long affiliation with NBC. The reason was simple: the future Hall of Famer wanted to spend more time with his family.
MORE: Why Drew Brees is leaving NBC, next steps for former Saints QB
After retiring in 2020, Brees appeared as a college football games analyst in 2021. He soon began playing NFL games as well, a busy schedule that didn’t leave much room for family time, according to NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua.
“Taking the incredible busyness of an NFL career and then not taking a break at all and jumping straight into both Notre Dame Football and the NFL with us was certainly a round-the-clock effort,” Bevacqua told the AP. “This was definitely a lifestyle choice for him, which is totally understandable.”
Career Achievements by Jason Garrett
Garrett is best remembered for his time with the Dallas Cowboys. In all, Garrett spent 10 seasons managing Dallas. During his tenure, the Cowboys rarely contested for true Super Bowl titles — Dallas never made it out of the divisional round of the playoffs.
Despite this, Garrett posted an 85-67 record. And he’s managed some pretty good Dallas teams, including a 12-4 team in 2014 and a 13-3 team in 2016. Garrett was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2016 after guiding the Cowboys to their best record since had led for a decade.