The New England Patriots are scheduled to play two Monday games during the 2020 regular season, and at least one of the contests will be broadcast on ESPN as part of Monday Night Football (likely the team’s game against the New York Jets in Week 9). However, Patriots fans will see different-looking broadcast than the one they have gotten used to over the last two seasons.
According to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic, ESPN has decided to change its play-by-play announcer and color commentator:
ESPN is going to have a new Monday Night Football booth. Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland will not return, via sources. The successors will be internal. No decision has been made yet. Both Tessitore and McFarland will remain in prominent roles at ESPN.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) May 9, 2020
Tessitore and McFarland originally joined Monday Night Football in 2018, after Sean McDonough and Jon Gruden left the booth — the latter of the two to take over the head coaching position with the now-Las Vegas Raiders. Their replacements did not last long, however, and will now be replaced once again.
As Deitsch noted, no decision about replacements has been made even though two popular candidates are apparently out of the running: Peyton Manning turned down an offer earlier this year, shortly after Tony Romo signed a new deal with CBS.