ESPN analyst makes worrying prediction that may harm FOX NFL Sunday and Terry Bradshaw

Peter Schrager, formerly of FOX NFL Sunday, has voiced his concerns over the impact of changing NFL regular season schedules on future broadcasts.

Now at ESPN, Schrager highlighted the potential challenges facing pregame shows in light of the planned international match-ups for 2025. This year's line-up includes seven regular season games to be played abroad, scattered across the UK, Ireland, Brazil, and Spain.

Teams including the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers will all fly out to compete internationally. The adjusted local playing times for these matches could disrupt the pregame shows and viewership ratings across the networks.

On the podcast, Schrager explained that while FOX NFL Kickoff and FOX NFL Sunday usually enjoy high ratings throughout the regular season, there's a drop whenever international games are played.

He remarked: "We'd have crazy ratings on our little Kickoff show that was before the big one, that was from 11-12 Eastern. But when they would have these international games, nobody watched. You'd rather watch any game than a pregame show talking about the other games.

"So you'd go over to ESPN or NFL Network or wherever it was, and those games started at 9:30 Eastern. It's usually in the fourth quarter when the pregame show's going on. If you have 16 (international) games, my question is does that single-handedly cripple the idea of a Sunday pregame show?

"I feel like most fans, even if it's Jaguars-Titans or it's Saints-Bucs, you watch the game over hearing what the guys have to say about the games coming up."

This prediction of dropping viewership numbers could trigger major changes across sports networks, with iconic figures such as Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan potentially making way for fresh talent in an effort to rejuvenate the broadcasts and lure back audiences.

Despite these concerns raised by Schrager, the NFL appear to be undisturbed about the future of its pregame segments.

International matches have proved to be a big success, leading to an increase from five games last season to seven in the upcoming year, with matches played across England, Germany, and Brazil in 2024.

It has been reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is also contemplating bringing the game to Asia, aiming to bolster the league's global allure.

Yet, amid all the potential for growth, Schrager wants to keep with tradition: "It's kind of cool, but I'm a sentimental guy. I'd like to think those pregame shows still exist, even if there's games in that window."