ESPN informed longtime NFL analyst Ryan Clark that they were laying him off during Monday’s live taping of ‘NFL Live’ to prevent him from finding out via social media.

Clark, a 13-year NFL veteran and former Super Bowl winner with the Pittsburgh Steelers, joined ESPN in 2015, a year after retiring. He inked a $2 million annual contract with the network in 2024.

The 46-year-old Clark was let go in part due to ESPN budget cuts due to its $3 billion acquisition of NFL Network and his sometimes combative on-air attitude, as evidenced during a September 2025 interaction with fellow analyst Peter Schrager.

Still, ESPN posted multiple clips of Clark from Monday afternoon — one of him discussing the Dallas Cowboys from ‘SportsCenter’ and another of him comparing New York Giants tight end Isiah Likely to Travis Kelce from ‘NFL Live’ — to its social platforms.

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Former ESPN NFL draft specialist Todd McShay couldn’t believe it. “Am I the only one who finds this post wild?” he quote-tweeted the ‘NFL Live’ post with.

Here is what Clark said in both of the posts, his final ones with ESPN.

On the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl chances

“They are realistic, this year,” Clark said. “You go and get [new defensive coordinator] Christian Parker from the Philadelphia Eagles. He understands how to keep the top on the defense and not give up the big play.”

“You’re expecting someone like [third-year linebacker] Demarion Overshown to be exactly what we saw him ascending to be before the injury. We watched him play a little bit last year, and I expect him to be an X-factor in what they want to be.”

“It’s also going to be about how you acclimate Caleb Downs. You pick him in the top-12 of the NFL Draft. Many people thought he would go earlier. He’s an absolute savant when it comes to defensive football.”

“How do you implement him?” Clark asked. “How do you use him? Is he going to be the nickel? Is he going to be the down safety? Are you going to keep him in the middle of the field? Can we see him in one-on-one with tight ends?”

“That’s going to be very important to this defense because, let’s not get it twisted, if this offense is the same thing, they just have to be alright this year. We could see George Pickens in camp, CeeDee Lamb, and Dak Prescott, and if [coach Brian Schottenheimer] can get those guys going, this could be a team we’re talking about at the end of the season and not just the beginning.”

Comparing Isaiah Likely’s impact to Travis Kelce’s

“Be very patient with Malik Nabers. And I believe that with [new tight end] Isiah Likely that you can be patient,” Clark said. “When you think about the way he was paired with Mark Andrews in Baltimore, he was the guy that gave you the explosive play, that could stretch you down the seam.”

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“And now with Jaxon Dart, to give him an outlet that’s closer to the line of scrimmage, that’s closer to the tackle box. I believe [new offensive coordinator] Matt Nagy understands how to utilize a tight end. And he could have a young Travis Kelce effect for this Giants offense. I feel that he is just waiting to be unleashed.

“You add Theo Johnson to that, who is already in New York, who we’ve seen make some athletic plays on the outside but can also be an in-line blocking tight in the 21 personnel (one tight-end formation). We could see some of that 12 (two tight-end) while also incorporating [fullback] Patrick Ricard so we can get those big packages along with Cam Skattebo that were huge in Baltimore.”