The face of Sports Illustrated‘s NFL coverage is leaving the magazine for different pastures. Peter King, who has been with the SI for the last 29 years and oversaw its NFL vertical The MMQB since its inception in 2013, will head to NBC starting in July.
King’s contract with Sports Illustrated expired this year, and it was unknown whether he’d try to work on a new deal with his employer since 1989 or if he would head elsewhere. If it was the latter, King was sure to be a hot commodity, as he is known for being as plugged in with the NFL (especially with commissioner Roger Goodell) as anyone.
As we learned on Thursday, King decided it was time to leave. As he said in a release, he’s going to leave at the end of May, saying “I just felt it was time to move on from the 24/7-ness of football coverage and try something a little bit different. My 29 years at Sports Illustrated have been, collectively, a dream come true.”
There’s no word on who will take over for King at The MMQB, but we do know what’s next for him. Shortly after the news of King’s impending departure was announced by SI, NBC put out a statement listing King’s responsibilities with the network. In addition to writing a weekly NFL column on Monday mornings, King will appear on PFT Live with Mike Florio and Football Night in America, which has has appeared on in the past.
