Former ESPN anchor Stan Verrett is returning to the national spotlight for the 2026 NFL season.
Verrett spent 25 years at ESPN, solidifying his status as one of the best “SportsCenter” anchors ever. On May 22, 2025, he announced that his contract with the network wasn’t renewed.
“The L.A. studio was closing and so it just didn’t make sense for me to go back to Bristol in terms of where my life is right now. For me, it wasn’t a career decision. It was a life decision. Even if there had been a renewal, that call for me to move back to Bristol, that’s not something I was interested in. It was totally amicable,” Verrett said. “There’s certainly no hard feelings on my end. I don’t think there are on their end. I had built a life out here in LA. I wanted to continue living here. And that didn’t work with what their future plans were.”
A little over a year later, Verrett announced that he’s returning to the spotlight.
Verrett will be joining NFL Network, which is now owned by ESPN, to host “NFL Total Access” every Tuesday through Friday at 12 p.m. ET.
“When I joined @espn in 2000, one of my goals was to be a part of its NFL coverage,” Verrett wrote on X. “Always enjoyed covering everything on @SportsCenter but pro football remained my passion. Here we are all these years later, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Greg Doherty/Getty Images
He’s on double duty this fall.
Back in the fall of 2025, the New Orleans Saints hired Verrett to host their pregame show.
“We are thrilled to welcome Stan Verrett back home to New Orleans and into the Saints family,” Saints president Dennis Lauscha said in a press release. “Stan’s experience, insight, and love for this city make him the perfect host to lead this new pregame show, and help us deliver an engaging, high-quality show to our fans.”
Verrett confirmed Thursday that he’ll still provide a weekly preview podcast for the Saints this season.
