NFL fans left stunned as Michel Irvin and Keyshawn Johnson join Skip Bayless' 'Undisputed' - "Damn ESPN is fumbling"

Despite losing Shannon Sharpe, Skip Bayless' FS1 hot take show Undisputed is all but ready for its "relaunch".

It had been previously reported that former Super Bowl-winning cornerback Richard Sherman would be replacing Sharpe as Bayless' new debate "rival", while Rachel Nichols, a former NBA presenter for ESPN, will most likely be the new host. Rapper Lil Wayne, composer of the program's theme sone and a close friend of Bayless', will also have a Friday segment.

And now Fox Sports is continuing the big hits, as the Sports Business Journal's John Ourand reported on Monday that former Super Bowl-winning wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin would be joining Undisputed, forming a "new dream team", as Bayless called it on X:

Irvin and Johnson had previously been staples on ESPN, especially First Take, with the former also serving as analyst on the NFL Network before he was suspended for alleged indecency during the week of Super Bowl LVII.

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Fans think ESPN is in shambles after Michael Irvin and Keyshawn Johnson defect to Fox Sports' Undisputed

With Undisputed now boasting such a stacked cast of Skip Bayless, Richard Sherman, Michael Irvin, and Keyshawn Johnson, a few NFL fans may be forgiven for thinking that ESPN, once the home of premier football analysts, is losing its grip on that field. They took to Twitter to voice such opinions:

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Is Undisputed attempting to copy First Take's NFL formula? Insiders weigh in

However, for all the buzz Skip Bayless and Undisputed have been garnering, there are those who feel that they may be just copying from their older and better-established rival, and it is not a good idea.

Granted, ESPN's First Take may be losing Michael Irvin and Keyshawn Johnson, but it did gain former Undisputed co-host Shannon Sharpe, and it still boasts a bevy of other credible NFL analysts like Ryan Clark, Dan Orlovsky, and Marcus "Swagu" Spears. And sources recently told Front Office Sports that Bayless' attempt to emulate former First Take partner Stephen A. Smith's “debate by committee" style is not sitting well with Fox Sports' upper management:

“This is it? This is literally copying exactly what ESPN is doing. And it will make a bad show worse. Rachel Nichols has never been a debater or given opinions. She’s a great interviewer. So this is a classic miscast.

“Lil Wayne is Skip’s barbecue buddy. Sherman has potential. But Keyshawn just got laid off by ESPN — and is looking for his next gig. This shows me they’re having trouble finding major talents to work with Skip.”

According to Bayless, Undisputed will return to the airwaves on August 28. Only time will tell if his new cast is an improvement over Sharpe.