On-Air Beef During Cowboys Segment Was 'Peak' Of ESPN Souring On Ryan Clark

Notorious ESPN analyst Ryan Clark has been laid off, according to reports, and the decision was at least partly because ESPN had "soured" on Clark, and especially after he had an on-air beef during a Dallas Cowboys segment in 2025.

The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reports that Clark was actually in the middle of an episode of "NFL Live" when he was notified of his layoff on Monday.

Marchand reports that ESPN execs "had soured on Clark because of issues with some of his choices, a dynamic that peaked with an on- and off-air incident this past season involving colleague Peter Schrager."

That incident saw Clark say to Scharger "that's the non-player in you" while Schrager defended Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb following Dallas' Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last season.

Schrager did not take kindly to that and told Clark not to belittle him. Clark later issued a public apology to Schrager in the same day.

ESPN’s Ryan Clark and Peter Schrager got into it after Ryan Clark disagreed with his take:

"That’s the non-player in you" 😳
pic.twitter.com/Sd5GkxkPQO
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) September 5, 2025

Marchand also reported that ESPN and its new sister platform, NFL Network, are going to see layoffs on Tuesday as Disney, their parent company, continues to make cuts, so it appears Clark's firing could be a result of multiple factors.

Why did ESPN lay off Clark mid-show?

ESPN MNF broadcaster Ryan Clark shown on set prior to the game between the Los Angeles Rams against the Atlanta Falcons. — Former ESPN MNF broadcaster Ryan Clark. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The reason behind letting Clark go during the show on Monday was that ESPN feared the news would leak after receiving calls from news outlets inquiring about Clark's layoff and didn't want Clark to find out from reports, Marchand reported.

"ESPN’s plan was to (fire Ryan Clark) on Tuesday morning, but after receiving calls on the matter chose to inform him during his show as they did not want him to read online before being told in person," Marchand reported.

Clark understandably chose not to finish out the show.

Cowboys segment was one of Clark's last on ESPN

Ryan Clark on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set SoFi Stadium. — Former ESPN analyst Ryan Clark. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Prior to his being let go and not finishing out the show, one of Clark's last segments had to do with the Cowboys and if he considers them a Super Bowl contender.

Clark believes Dallas is.

Clark cited the addition of Christian Parker, labeled DeMarvion Overshown as an X-factor and believes how the Cowboys use Caleb Downs is crucial.

Ultimately, Clark thinks if Dallas can improve on defense and has the same offensive success it has had in recent years, the Cowboys can make some noise in 2026.

"Are the Super Bowl expectations realistic for the Cowboys this year?"@Realrclark25 breaks down why Dallas can be looked at as a potential Super Bowl contender ✍️ pic.twitter.com/XW1lc9JKv2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 20, 2026

While the Cowboys segment was one of the last ones Clark did, it was not the last one. Clark did another one talking about the New York Giants after sharing his thoughts on the Cowboys.

Many X users joked that Clark's comment on the Cowboys' Super Bowl hopes being realistic was so outlandish that it led to ESPN letting him go. Of course, that is not the case.

So, not only were the Cowboys one of Clark's last segments, they were also the subject of what turned out to be a damaging back and forth for Clark with Schrager.

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