By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Matt Hasselbeck, a free agent quarterback, has decided to hang up his cleats forever. The 40-year-old is expected to join ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown for this upcoming season, according to The Big Lead.
While ESPN’s denying a comment, he’ll replace Mike Ditka, who has one-year left on his contract. ESPN has been considering taking Ditka off of the show for quite some time — and it was speculated that Peyton Manning may get his role.
However, that did not happen as Manning hasn’t announced his future plans at this time. An official announcement by ESPN could come as soon as Wednesday.
With Hasselbeck joining ESPN, he’ll join the same network as his brother. Tim Hasselbeck has been with the company since
Hasselbeck — who reportedly wanted to continue to play for one more season — ends his career after starting eight games in place of Andrew Luck with the Indianapolis Colts last season. The Colts let go Hasselbeck as they wanted to make Josh Freeman as Luck’s back-up, before he was released, too.
He’s the second addition to Sunday NFL Countdown this off-season. They also added Charles Woodson, who replaces Keyshawn Johnson, whose contract was not renewed at the end of the NFL season.
While Ditka is being replaced on the show, he’s not done with the company. The Big Lead says he’s going to have an unspecified emeritus NFL role next season.
Hasselbeck, the younger brother, joined ESPN in Aug. 2008 as an NFL studio analyst. He also appears on NFL Live, SportsCenter, and ESPN Radio along with their fantasy football coverage.
Ditka was one of the longest tenured Sunday NFL Countdown members with Tom Jackson and Chris Berman. Ditka joined ESPN in 2004 and has been a mainstay on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. He’s also appeared on SportsCenter and ESPN Radio.