Thursday night has arrived, and so has a new NFL insider. Prime Video has found its new NFL insider, and the pick comes from a familiar corner of football media. James Palmer will take over the insider role for Thursday Night Football’s pregame and postgame coverage this season, stepping into the seat vacated by Ian Rapoport.
Palmer confirmed the move on social media, making it clear that he was excited to join a Prime Video broadcast team that already features several familiar names from around the NFL.
“I’m thrilled to announce that I’m joining the outstanding broadcast crew at NFL on Prime. The team of Charissa Thompson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth, Tony Gonzalez, and Richard Sherman, and so many others make this show one of one. Stoked to get back to what I love. Working gameday!”
Palmer is hardly a new name to NFL fans, even if the Prime Video job is a new assignment. He currently serves as Bleacher Report’s NFL insider and recently co-hosted Scoop City, The Athletic’s NFL podcast, alongside Dianna Russini and former quarterback Chase Daniel. He also co-hosts a podcast with former NFL Network colleague Steve Smith Sr.
This move is another step in Palmer’s career since he left NFL Network in 2024. He became Underdog’s lead NFL reporter before the company pivoted toward prediction markets, then joined Bleacher Report as an NFL insider while continuing his podcast work with Russini.
Rapoport lasted just one season with TNF before his exclusive ESPN and NFL Network deal forced him off Prime Video. Amazon reportedly pursued Tom Pelissero as his replacement, but he landed at Netflix instead, opening the door for Palmer.
Pelissero still had a year left on his NFL Network deal when ESPN cut him during the merger shakeup. He quickly resurfaced with a multiyear deal at Netflix and The Ringer.
That left Prime Video turning back to a familiar problem: its insider chair has become a revolving door. A former ESPN reporter handled the role in 2022 and 2023, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer took over in 2024, and Ian Rapoport followed in 2025 before departing for ESPN. Now, Palmer gets his turn.
And Rapoport’s exit may not exactly break NFL fans’ hearts. He remains one of the league’s biggest news-breakers, but plenty of viewers are tired of the insider game. One fan called NFL reporters “good at their jobs,” while another shrugged, “I think he’s fine. Whatever, you know.” Others were harsher, calling Rapoport “so annoying” and questioning the value of racing to tweet news seconds before everyone else. Palmer now gets a clean shot to win over a crowd that was never fully sold on the guy he is replacing.
Palmer, meanwhile, got a far warmer welcome as congratulations came fast after Palmer announced the move. NFL on Fox analyst Mark Schlereth kept it simple with “Congratulations, brother,” while Sara Walsh called it “a good thing for a great person” and said Prime and Palmer both came out winners.
Now Palmer steps in with the résumé Prime Video needs. With more than a decade covering the NFL, from local beats to national reporting and breaking news, he brings credibility and experience to a position that has lacked continuity.
Why NFL insider roles across the league are shifting all at once right now
Palmer’s hire isn’t happening in isolation; it’s the latest domino in a much bigger reshuffling of NFL media that’s been building for months. The latest round of changes can be traced to two separate developments: the merger between ESPN and NFL Network, and Russini’s resignation from The Athletic this past spring following reports about an alleged affair involving New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Russini’s departure left The Athletic with a major hole to fill, and the outlet eventually turned to Jonathan Jones from CBS Sports. Jones had already seen his profile at CBS shrink after losing his regular spot on The NFL Today in 2025, ending a run that stretched from 2022 through 2024.
Jones’ departure created another opening at CBS. The network, however, has chosen not to replace him. CBS currently has no plans to bring in another reporter for the position and has already moved away from the insider segments that were once a regular part of The NFL Today.
Taken together, the moves underline how much the NFL media race has changed. Networks are no longer fighting only for broadcast rights, but for the reporters who can break the next major story.
Analysis and star power still sell, but scoops can separate one show from another. Palmer now gives Prime Video another weapon in that fight.