Looks Like Colin Cowherd Will Remain FS1's Main Attraction for Awhile

Colin Cowherd will sign on for four more years at Fox Sports and iHeartRadio, according to a report from the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand. The 54-year-old has been with the network since 2015 and has been the north star in its talent pool, hosting a three-hour radio show, co-hosting Speak for Yourself, and appearing on Fox’s NFL pregame show Sundays.

Cowherd will reportedly leave his Speak for Yourself gig and be succeeded by Marcellus Wiley, per Michael McCarthy of The Sporting News. But make no mistake about it: Cowherd will remain, as he’s been since jumping over from ESPN, FS1’s biggest star and focal point of content. Skip Bayless may get the most feverish response, but his portfolio is significantly less diverse and demanding.

The next four years, barring some significant departure in strategy, will be Cowherd driven. For instance, any new afternoon lineup will be done with the consideration of how much his simulcast can help as a lead-in and table-setter. And whatever you think about him, his ability to agitate and  to matter is possibly unmatched in sports media.

Look no further than the recent viral interview with Baker Mayfield. Or Dabo Swinney calling Cowherd a fraud in the wake of winning a national title. Few pundits possess the cultural relevance — whether it’s love or loathing.

This new deal reportedly getting done a full year before Cowherd’s original contract was set to expire is also significant if one believes ESPN was entertaining the idea of bringing him back. Significant turnover in the radio lineup at Bristol would conceivably make a Cowherd reunion more attractive than, say, a year ago.