Former Fox NFL Sunday star who quit to join rivals fears for future of Michael Strahan and Terry Bradshaw show

PETER Schrager is concerned about the future of NFL programming with the way the schedule is changing.

Schrager spent years on TV ahead of Fox NFL Sunday before moving to ESPN this offseason.

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Despite his network change, Schrager is still concerned for Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan’s show.

The NFL is continuing to grow its slate of international games, and the league eventually wants to have 17 per season.

However, these games usually kick off early in the morning, interfering with pregame shows.

Schrager explained how Fox NFL Kickoff and Fox NFL Sunday see exceptional ratings except for when there are international games.

“We’d have crazy ratings on our little Kickoff show that was before the big one, that was from 11-12 Eastern,” Schrager told Pardon My Take.

“But when they would have these international games, nobody watched.”

Schrager knows that any NFL fan would rather watch a game than pregame coverage, even if it is one of the best shows like Fox NFL Sunday.

“You’d rather watch any game than a pregame show talking about the other games,” he said.

“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.”

The NFL probably has no concerns about the state of pregame programming.

International games are huge revenue drivers for the league, with massive attendance and viewership for the games.

Last year saw games in England, Germany, and Brazil, and this year’s slate is even bigger.

The 2025 schedule has international games being played in England, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, and Spain.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has also floated the idea of a game in Asia in the future.

If the league expands to a full 17-game slate of international matchups in the future, they could sell those games to an exclusive streaming partner.

The current international games are usually streamed exclusively on a platform like Peacock.

YouTube TV or another streamer could swoop in and broadcast a morning international game every week, effectively killing pregame broadcasting.

“It’s kind of cool, but I’m a sentimental guy,” Schrager said.

“I’d like to think those pregame shows still exist, even if there’s games in that window.”