Former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson is leaving his role as host of NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” and is joining “CBS This Morning” to take over as a host for the morning news show instead.
Burleson, who has been on “Good Morning Football” for the last five years, made the announcement during Wednesday’s show.
“We started this show, which seems like forever ago, as friends,” Burleson said. “Now five years later, we’re family. Like truly brothers and sisters…which is why this is tough to say and right now I am announcing I will be joining CBS This Morning as a host.”
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Burleson said he is not leaving “Good Morning Football” for good, though, adding that he will still be a part of the show and digital platform but did not get into specifics. He will also continue his role as a studio analyst on Sunday for NFL Today on CBS and some stuff with NFL Network and Nickelodeon.
Burleson, 39, who played for the Vikings, Seahawks and Lions in an 11-year NFL career, retired in 2014 and began working as an analyst for the NFL Network.
“Good Morning Football” debuted in 2016 with Burleson as one of the co-hosts alongside Kay Adams, Kyle Brandt and peter Schrager.
Burleson’s move to “CBS This Morning” comes after he filled in as a guest host in June during Tony Dokoupil’s paternity leave. He will join Dokoupil and Gayle King, replacing Anthony Mason on the morning news show.
Burleson is not the first football player to join a morning news show. Former Giants star and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan is a co-host of “Good Morning America” on ABC.
Burleson closed his announcement by talking about how tough it is to walk away because he’s spent more time with “Good Morning Football” than any other team in his life.
“It’s tough to walk away, ‘in a way,’” Burleson said. “Because it’s not goodbye. It’s just I’ll see you later.”
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