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Tom Pelissero will be an NFL insider and sideline reporter for Netflix during the 2026 season, the streaming service announced Monday. The move comes less than a month after ESPN laid off Pelissero amid the network’s restructuring following its acquisition of NFL Network.
Pelissero will be among the on-air talent for each of Netflix’s five NFL broadcasts during the upcoming season, beginning with the Week 1 game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. Netflix will also broadcast a game the day before Thanksgiving, two games on Christmas Day and one during Week 18.
Per Netflix’s announcement, Pelissero will also co-host “The Ringer NFL Show” and contribute across The Ringer’s NFL podcasts, including a weekly appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” The Ringer’s video podcasts are available on Netflix. Pelissero reacted to the announcement on social media, writing, “Let’s go.”
Pelissero joined NFL Network as a reporter in 2017 after four years covering the league nationally for USA Today. In his nine seasons with NFL Network, Pelissero became a staple on the platform, appearing on shows including “GameDay Morning,” “Good Morning Football” and “The Insiders.”
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Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” expressed interest in Pelissero for the insider role that Ian Rapoport filled last year, according to sources briefed on the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private matter freely. Rapoport signed a new deal with ESPN/NFL Network that precluded him from continuing with TNF. Pelissero chose the Netflix and Spotify/Ringer combination.
Prime Video has signed James Palmer, formerly of NFL Network and The Athletic, to succeed Rapoport in the role, according to sources briefed on the move.
Government regulators approved ESPN’s billion-dollar blockbuster acquisition of multiple NFL Media assets in January, including ownership and operation of NFL Network. As the networks intertwined this summer, Pelissero was let go, and the combination of Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter remained as insiders.
Last month, ESPN also let go of other prominent on-air voices, including Karl Ravech and Ryan Clark.
This is the third time that The Ringer has dipped into ESPN/NFL Network castoffs to reload talent. NFL Draft expert Todd McShay and NBA analyst Zach Lowe moved to The Ringer after their layoffs from ESPN in 2023 and 2024.
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