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3 clusters · 26 sources · 18 days · First seen about 1 month ago · Last updated 22 days ago

ESPN sports programming and personnel changes

Overview

ESPN has announced several programming and personnel changes affecting its college football and NFL coverage. On the SEC Network, the show ‘Marty & McGee’ is moving to a noon Saturday slot to accommodate the expansion of ‘SEC Nation’ to a three-hour broadcast. Matt Barrie will replace Laura Rutledge as the host of ‘SEC Nation’, joining analysts Tim Tebow, Paul Finebaum, and Roman Harper. Regarding NFL coverage, Pat McAfee is expanding his role by joining the ‘Monday Night Countdown’ team alongside Scott Van Pelt, Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears, and Jason McCourty. These shifts follow the departure of Ryan Clark from the ‘Monday Night Countdown’ desk, with Jason McCourty stepping in to fill the vacancy. Reports indicate McAfee’s contract negotiations could reach between $60 million and $65 million annually. Further expanding his presence, ESPN is reportedly planning to launch a new alternate presentation of ‘Monday Night Football’ during off-weeks of the ‘ManningCast’, pending NFL approval. If approved, McAfee’s total airtime during certain weeks could approach 18.5 hours of programming. This growing role has drawn criticism from veteran broadcaster Linda Cohn, who questioned the network’s strategy of featuring McAfee across multiple programs including ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, ‘College GameDay’, and ‘Monday Night Countdown’. Additionally, Jason Kelce is scheduled to debut as a game analyst for NFL Network broadcasts. He will join a broadcast team featuring Dave Pasch and Kurt Warner to call select games, including international matchups in London, Paris, and Madrid. This revamped lineup is positioned to play a significant role in the network’s upcoming Super Bowl coverage in February 2027. In a separate development, McAfee has confirmed his permanent exit from WWE. Following a storyline at WrestleMania 42, he addressed fans on social media, stating, ‘I made a promise that I would never, ever...

Entities

ESPN · Pat McAfee · NFL · Cody Rhodes · Jason McCourty

Timeline

22 days ago

[SPORTS] 4 sources
ESPN expands Pat McAfee's role with new NFL programming
ESPN is planning to expand Pat McAfee’s role with new ‘Monday Night Football’ alternate broadcasts, despite criticism from veteran host Linda Cohn regarding his pervasive presence on the network.
24 days ago

[SPORTS] 25 sources
Pat McAfee expands ESPN role and confirms permanent WWE exit
Pat McAfee is expanding his ESPN role to include Monday Night Countdown while confirming he will never return to WWE following a WrestleMania 42 stipulation. Jason Kelce also takes on new NFL roles.
about 1 month ago

[SPORTS] 3 sources
NFL broadcast lineups shift as ESPN and Netflix name new hosts
ESPN named former player Jason McCourty to replace Ryan Clark on Monday Night Countdown, while Netflix appointed Elle Duncan to succeed Kay Adams as its lead NFL studio host for the season opener.

Sources

awfulannouncing.com · cagesideseats.com · clutchpoints.com · essentiallysports.com · ewrestling.com · f4wonline.com · health.gov.on.ca · hindi.sportskeeda.com · kxrb.com · mybeachradio.com · nbcsports.com · nypost.com · rajahwwf.com · saturdaydownsouth.com · sportal.co.nz · sportskeeda.com · sportsmediawatch.com · sportsnaut.com · superluchas.com · theathletic.com · tmspn.com · willy1033.com · wrestlezone.com · wrestling-radio.com · wrestlinginc.com · y95country.com

This summary has been updated 4 times: see revision history