It has been more than three months since Ryan Clark was shown the exit doors by ESPN in July this year. But since then, the former analyst has had a lot to say about his career in the media, his learnings from ESPN, and what it was like working for the network. Now, he’s come forward with yet another shocking reveal.
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“My first offer on my last contract, two of the stipulations were I could no longer do The Pivot and I could no longer host Inside the NFL,” shared Clark on the ALL THE SMOKE podcast. “And crazy enough, if I agree to those things, the new sports show does not exist because it’s through The Pivot. And it’s in partnership with NFL Films, who I was hosting [through] Inside the NFL. “And when they sent that offer, I had an agent, and the agent comes to me and they were like, ‘Hey, you know, what do you want us to say?’ And I was like, ‘Nothing.’
“I was like, ‘Clearly, this is not a serious offer. And those are two things that have to be off the table. And for me to work there, I won’t give that up.’”
Right after wrapping up his NFL career, Clark immediately swapped out the NFL uniform for a suit and joined ESPN back in 2015. After dedicating 13 years to the league, he found fame in broadcasting by being part of NFL Live, SportsCenter, and Inside the NFL programming. He also won a Sports Emmy in May 2023 for Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst for this work at ESPN.
This success led ESPN to hold on to Clark since 2015. His previous contract ended a few days before the Super Bowl in 2024, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. He’d also reportedly threatened to leave ESPN amid the negotiations, and he also took to X to highlight his “free agent” status.
“I was so grateful for more time. I (was) excited to prove I was worth more, felt I deserved more. We disagreed, & that’s ok. I set out on a mission to leave no doubt, end all conversations about my who I was in this business. …
“The season is over. The deal is up. Time to make a decision. … I’m still the same #UndraftedFreeAgent !”
Clark later told Awful Announcing that ESPN ultimately backed off the restrictions, and he was able to keep working on his assignments outside of ESPN.
Ryan Clark received the news of his ESPN dismissal while on set for NFL Live, according to The Athletic. Since then, he has leaned on The Pivot, a podcast he has been involved with for the last few years and built with Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder.
“Not everything I’ve said on this platform has worked in my favor, but I’ve always shown up as my authentic self,” Clark wrote on X. “I’ve never tried to be anyone else. That’s why last Friday meant so much to me. @thepivot gave me the space to be fully me, to smile, laugh, cry, clap my hands when I talk, & embrace every emotion. It was beautiful in the realest, dopest way.”
The Pivot subsequently signed a multi-year agreement with Netflix for its video content. It has grown to become a massively popular podcast, currently boasting at least 1.63 million subscribers.
They have expanded the podcast into weekly football coverage with The Pivot Sports with Ryan Clark, which debuted on YouTube on Sept. 14 in partnership with NFL Films.
Even though his exit from ESPN marked the end of a longstanding career, Ryan Clark’s diligence in building his projects away from the network has paid off well.