ESPN’s summer NFL media reshuffle already has a first high-profile receipts moment.
Tom Pelissero, who was laid off in July after ESPN absorbed NFL Network, broke Monday’s trade sending New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans. Media analyst Bobby Burack immediately pointed to the scoop as evidence ESPN may have cut the wrong insider.
Bobby Burack Says ESPN Made a Mistake Letting Tom Pelissero Go
“This is why I said ESPN made a big mistake letting go of Tom Pelissero,” Burack wrote in an X post.
Burack noted that ESPN now employs both Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, two of the NFL’s most prominent news breakers, yet Pelissero still beat the network to the first major trade since the layoffs.
“First big trade since the layoffs and Pelissero breaks before ESPN,” Burack wrote.
This is why I said ESPN made a big mistake letting go of Tom Pelissero.
ESPN could have owned 100% of NFL scoops with him, Rapoport and Schefter.
First big trade since the layoffs and Pelissero breaks before ESPN. Great addition for Netflix/Ringer. https://t.co/pGjXRxzK2P
— Bobby Burack (@burackbobby_) August 24, 2026
Pelissero reported that New England was sending Boutte to Houston for safety Jaylen Reed and a draft pick, crediting his new employers, The Ringer and Netflix Sports.
NFL.com later explicitly acknowledged that Pelissero was first on the deal, while Rapoport reported that the pick was a 2028 seventh-rounder. Boston.com also credited Schefter with adding the draft-pick detail.
The moment gave Burack an easy opportunity to revisit ESPN’s July decision.
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ESPN’s layoffs followed its acquisition of NFL Network and other league media assets. The Associated Press reported that chairman Jimmy Pitaro told employees most of the moves stemmed from that integration. Pelissero was among the prominent NFL personalities let go, while ESPN retained and extended Schefter and Rapoport.
Tom Pelissero Quickly Lands on His Feet
Pelissero did not remain unattached for long.
The Ringer has already installed him as a co-host of “The Ringer NFL Show,” where he made his debut last week. He has also joined Netflix’s NFL coverage, giving him two prominent platforms heading into the regular season.
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His first notable scoop for those outlets involved a trade with immediate football implications. Houston needed receiver help after Jayden Higgins suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Boutte caught 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns for the AFC champion Patriots in 2025.
New England, meanwhile, had reshaped its receiver room by adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, making Boutte a logical trade candidate despite his growing role over the previous two seasons.
ESPN still has enormous NFL reporting firepower. Schefter remains one of the industry’s most established insiders, while Rapoport joined the network through the NFL Network integration.
One scoop does not decide whether a layoff was wise. It does, however, make for awkward timing.
Barely a month after ESPN let Pelissero go, the first major trade of the post-layoff period arrived. The guy breaking it was the one no longer on ESPN’s payroll.
