ESPN and longtime NFL reporter are parting ways

Werder joined ESPN in 1998 after stints with the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, CNN and Sports Illustrated. At the "Worldwide Leader," Werder quickly became one of the network's most trusted voices and an authority on the goings on in the NFL, especially regarding the Cowboys. 

Werder and ESPN have split before. In 2017, the veteran reporter was laid off by the network shortly after he was named the Dick McCann Award recipient (awarded for excellence in football reporting) and honored at that year's Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony in Canton. 

This time around, though, the decision seems mutual. Werder has vowed to seek work elsewhere, which is good news for the untold number of sports fans who grew up reading and listening to his football wisdom and continue to do so today. 

"While this marks the end of my partnership with ESPN, I expect to continue working because," Werder's statement said in part, "as so many studio hosts have proclaimed – and I still devoutly believe – 'Ed Werder has more.'" 

The 64-year-old said he plans to "immediately" consider other opportunities to cover the NFL. Someone with a resume like Werder's shouldn't have trouble finding work, which means he could pop up agin on someone's airwaves, doing what he does best, this fall.