What is Colin Cowherd's next move?

One of the most popular sports talk shows in the country is set to be a free agent after the football season is over. Colin Cowherd, host of “The Herd,” is going to have a herd of options to choose from soon .

His show has accounted for 46 billion minutes of viewing time on Fox platforms and he’s been one of the few personalities in the industry who has been able to establish his own fiefdom outside of ESPN.

His empire has played a role in raising the profiles of Jason McIntyre, Draymond Green, Richard Sherman, Joy Taylor, Nick Wright, Danny Parkins, Shannon Sharpe and a host of other personalities and athletes turned commentators and that currency of success is expected to lead him to a major payday. Here are some of the options Cowherd will likely be choosing from as well as some wildcards.

Fox Sports

The Herd is one of FS1’s highest rated telecasts more often than not and with Skip Bayless gone, Cowherd has established himself as arguably the face of the network. Fox has used his show as a vehicle to promote their other homegrown talent, it’s been the place they trust Tom Brady to showcase his personality and get some reps in before his NFL broadcast debut and it’s a place that has allowed him to launch his own media venture on the side, something that until recently wasn’t a commonality at Cowherd’s previous employer.

Last month, Sports Business Journal profiled Cowherd in a piece that included glowing testaments about the host’s impact from FS1 head Charlie Dixon. “What he’s done is he brought that sensibility [from radio] to ‘How do I make this and maximize it as a television program?’ It’s really hard to do,” Dixon told the publication. The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis pointed out in a recent piece about Brady that “Fox’s sports division prides itself on the fact that its employees, on the air and off, rarely leave the network.” It would be surprising to see Fox let go of their sports network’s anchor unless there was a deal available elsewhere that Cowherd absolutely couldn’t say no to.

ESPN

What’s old is new again. Jon Stewart is back on “The Daily Show,” Brian Stelter is back at CNN and if there’s any company that isn’t afraid to ignite a reunion to remain competitive in the media landscape, it’s ESPN. Their radio division hasn’t been the same since Cowherd left and although radio isn’t a major source of revenue, there is still pride in maintaining a dominant presence across all mediums for ESPN.

Cowherd would bring back some star power to their audio division. ESPN would also be able to weaken FS1’s slate, provide some more original programming for ESPN2, bolster up their offerings for the upcoming direct to consumer app they’re launching in 2025 and have a personality that could easily be slotted into a bigger position if Stephen A. Smith or Pat McAfee happen to find new terrain. It’s something that Cowherd says has been broached before although those embers have cooled recently.

Independent

The Volume, Cowherd’s media company, has slowly become a perennial leader in the sports audio space. While Colin Cowherd already has a podcast on the network, the numbers for his broadcast would only shoot up if it was the only destination viewers could find him. Going independent frees him up to partner with as many big media companies as possible rather than being exclusive to one and it helps to build value for his company if he decides to sell it like Bill Simmons and The Ringer.

Sirius/XM

The audio company has been on a roll signing talent to deals that not only include their podcasts/shows but also include their own developmental deals to build content for all platforms with the help of Sirius. It started with Howard Stern but has continued with Alex Cooper, Christopher Russo and Conan O’Brien among others. Sirius is a place that’s known in the industry for empowering their stars to create their own lane. A deal with Sirius to bring Cowherd along with his stable of hosts at The Volume could be the most lucrative deal the host gets to solidifying a wealthy financial path without having to give up control of his company.

CBS

Jim Rome’s move to X has left a hole in CBS Sports Network’s lineup that Cowherd could easily fill right away. The network could also use Cowherd to help develop content for their digital networks, Paramount+ and could give CBS Sports an identity beyond being the home for AFC NFL games and March Madness. Cowherd could bolster their sports betting content efforts and create a platform that helps promote CBS’ social media initiatives that may not get the attention ESPN or Fox receive.

FanDuel

The sportsbook is rumored to be acquiring the naming rights and a stake in Diamond Sports’ RSNs . They’ve also continued to bolster their original programming bringing on Shams Charania, Michelle Beadle and Kay Adams and recently launched a FAST channel. FanDuel has their own streaming service and a partnership with Kevin Durant. All of their platforms would reach a bigger threshold of viewers with Colin Cowherd on board. He would still be able to keep a presence on linear television but he would also be able to build upon the sportsbook’s already established digital presence and would be aligned with the sportsbook that has the biggest market share in the country.

Stadium

The network is in the process of a relaunch as many of its owners resources go towards a new over the air RSN launching in Chicago that’ll be home to the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox. Colin Cowherd has hinted at wanting to move to Chicago and could help rebuild a platform in the same way he did with FS1. He would be able to host his show at United Center, a venue that has been home to some of sports and culture’s biggest moments and he would give Stadium a new face after the network reportedly lost Shams Charania.

The post What is Colin Cowherd’s next move as free agency approaches? appeared first on Awful Announcing .