‘Mad Dog’ Chris Russo would like to be considered to replace Mike Francesa on WFAN
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo appears on Sirius radio for the first day of his new sports talk show on Sept. 11, 2008. Credit: Bruce Gilbert
Might Chris Russo return to his old WFAN home once his former partner, Mike Francesa, vacates the premises at the end of 2017?
That is a long way off, with many hurdles in the way, but Russo did say he would like to be considered for his old afternoon drive time slot, at least for ego’s sake.
The topic came up at Super Bowl Radio Row in San Francisco when Russo visited the FAN’s morning show, featuring Craig Carton and Boomer Esiason.
In the interview recorded Tuesday night and aired on Wednesday morning’s show, Carton asked, “Would you like to be considered to replace Mike in afternoon drive on WFAN in two years?”
With that, Esiason interjected by pointing to one problem with that notion — lingering ill will from Russo’s departure from CBS Radio, which owns WFAN, in 2008.
“I don’t think they’d let you back in, the way you left; it was ugly,” Esiason said. “Feelings got hurt. I don’t know.”
Then Carton continued, “You know you’ve thought about it. Would you actually like to be considered?”
Said Russo: “That’s two years down the road. It’s a long way off. But who wouldn’t like to be considered?”
Carton: “So you’d like the job?”
Russo: “I said, ‘Who wouldn’t?’ I mean that’s an ego thing, right? Everybody wants to be considered.”
Esiason: “Do your Sirius [XM Satellite Radio] people hear you talking now that you would actually like to take it; how do you think they feel?”
Said Russo: “I have a contract coming up . . . It’s two years. It’s a long way off. I haven’t thought about it.”
Pressed by Esiason regarding when his SiriusXM contract expires, Russo said “within the year” and later added “by Christmas Eve.”
Russo originally signed a five-year contract worth an estimated $15 million in 2008, then re-upped for three years — for substantially less money — late in 2013.
Esiason asked whether Russo might sign a short-term deal for 2017 so that he would be free to leave in 2018.
“I don’t think Sirius would entertain that,” Russo said. “They would want me long term.”
Carton: “Have you spoken to CBS about the job?”
Russo: “No, I haven’t.”
Carton: “Have you reached out to them and they haven’t returned your call?”
Russo: “No, I have not. I swear.”
Francesa and Russo will appear together at Radio City Music Hall on March 30 for a reunion show to benefit the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
Esiason and Carton have been recording their morning show the prior evening in San Francisco to make it more practical to get guests and also to have results of games played at night in the East to discuss during the show. Last year in Arizona, which had only a two-hour time difference from New York, they did the show live.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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