Boomer Esiason, who quarterbacked the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals during a 14-year NFL career, joined CBS Sports in February 2002 as a studio analyst for THE NFL TODAY, the CBS Television Network's NFL pre-game show. He will join host Greg Gumbel, Dan Marino and newcomer Shannon Sharpe in the studio.
Upon retiring after the 1997 season, Esiason headed straight for the broadcast booth. He made his debut as a commentator for ABC's NFL Monday Night Football, and called "MNF" games for two years. For the past four years, he has called games for Westwood One/CBS Radio Sports' Monday Night Football broadcasts and will join Marv Albert for a third year together. Esiason is also co-host with Chris "Mad Dog" Russo of Westwood One's weekly NFL preview show, In the Huddle. He will also continue his third year of the Boomer Esiason Show on Madison Square Garden Network. During the 2001 season, he served as an analyst on Fox Sports Net's NFL This Morning.
After an All-America career at the University of Maryland, Esiason was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft and became one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history. In 1986, he earned his first Pro Bowl bid while leading the NFL's most productive offense. In 1988, he led the NFL with a 97.4 passer rating and helped the Bengals win the AFC Championship before their loss to San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIII. That year, Esiason was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player by the Pro Football Writers of America and the Associated Press. He again was the NFL passing leader in 1989 as Cincinnati claimed another division title. In 1993, after being traded to the Jets, Esiason became a Pro Bowler for the second time. In only three seasons with the Jets, he became the team's fourth-leading all-time passer. After playing a season for the Arizona Cardinals, he returned to Cincinnati, where he ended his career with 2,969 completions in 5,205 pass attempts (57% completion percentage) for 247 touchdowns and 37,920 yards.
Throughout his career, Esiason, along with his wife, Cheryl, has been a committed and very active participant in many charitable causes, including the Boomer Esiason Foundation, founded in 1993 to fight cystic fibrosis after his son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with the disease. To date, the Foundation has raised over $35 million.
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