Jalen & Jacoby Are Candidates to Join Keyshawn Johnson on ESPN Morning Radio

Jalen Rose and David Jacoby are candidates to join Keyshawn Johnson on the revamped ESPN morning radio show, sources tell Outkick. As Outkick has reported, Johnson and ESPN have been close on terms. Those terms are now agreed upon for Johnson to be one of the co-hosts. The New York Post reported today that his deal is done. Max Kellerman was an option to join Johnson, and some high-ranking executives' first choice, but Kellerman wants to remain on First Take and is expected to. At this point, Kellerman is unlikely to also do morning radio. Part of the uncertainty that surrounded Kellerman was the looming possibility of Skip Bayless, whose contract with FS1 expires soon, returning to ESPN. Assuming Kellerman stays on First Take, there's not much of an opening for Bayless at ESPN, which is still in cost-saving mode. Jalen & Jacoby have been a popular duo on many ESPN platforms, including podcasts, ESPN Radio, ESPN, and ESPN2. They have been on-air partners since 2011. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment. We reported earlier this week that Mike Greenberg is close to finalizing a deal to return to ESPN Radio. When this deal gets done, Greenberg will host solo; it's expected the show will air sometime between 12 and 3 p.m. ET. The afternoon spot, that is currently held by Will Cain, is also open. Right now, ESPN's afternoon drive show airs from 3-6. That could change depending on when the Greenberg show ends. Mike Golic Jr. is an option for a show later in the lineup. We discussed this possibility in this week's Outkick Media Mailbag.