New York Jets fans remember Jonathan Vilma for his bone-crushing tackles on Sundays, but he’ll soon be the one analyzing those types of hits.
Who says the NFL offseason is only about current players? Former New York Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma is jumping ship at ESPN for Fox according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.
The three-time Pro Bowler is joining Fox’s NFL coverage and Marchand notes that Vilma’s likely broadcast partner will be Kenny Albert. Working alongside Albert as a game analyst is likely one of the driving factors that pushed the former linebacker from ESPN to Fox.
“Vilma, 38, strongly considered staying with Disney as he enjoyed his role on ABC college football pregame, where his co-analyst was Mark Sanchez, and his appearances on ESPN shows such as “Get Up” during the week. Ultimately, NFL game analyst jobs do not come along that often and Vilma will have room to grow at Fox, having already shown he can do studio and can now expand into games.”
Albert is no stranger to calling New York games. In addition to his NFL play-by-play duties for Fox, Albert calls New York Knicks and New York Rangers games for MSG Network. It’s likely that fans of both New York football teams will see a steady diet of Albert and Vilma when their games are broadcast on Fox.
Albert previously called games with Ronde Barber, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback and the brother of longtime New York Giants running back Tiki Barber.
Despite the fact that this will be Vilma’s first chance to call NFL games on Sundays, he could develop into one of the big stars for Fox going forward. Placing him with a seasoned play-by-play broadcaster like Albert and sticking him in a market that he knows well should set Vilma up for success in his new gig.
