[ad_1]
Mike Greenberg will be the new host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” as ESPN prepares its lineup for the first Super Bowl in 2027, a source familiar with the matter said. The athlete Tuesday.
Greenberg replaces Sam Ponder, who was fired last week after one year and more than $1 million left on her contract. While she will receive her full payout, ESPN has taken steps to put its books in order as the fiscal year ends in late September.
However, Ponder’s decision was also designed to promote Greenberg, a longtime favorite of ESPN executives. As the host of the daily “Get Up” show on television and “Greeny” on radio, Greenberg already has a sizable presence on the network. Greenberg had a brief stint as the lead host of the NBA draft before relinquishing those duties to Malaika Andrews last season. He also hosts the NFL Draft on ESPN, a prestigious job.
Greenberg, 57, took the job over Laura Rutledge, a rising star at the network. Despite her rise, it’s the second time in the past year that Rutledge, the host of the daily “NFL Live” show, has lost out to a veteran ESPN anchor.
Shortly before last season, Scott Van Pelt was hired to replace Rutledge as host of Monday Night Football's “NFL Countdown.” Van Pelt's Monday show has also been revamped with Jason Kelce replacing the recently fired Robert Griffin III. Kelce joins analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark on Mondays.
On Sundays, Greenberg's starting lineup will include Randy Moss, Tedy Bruschi, Rex Ryan, Alex Smith, and Adam Schefter.
ESPN and ABC will air the Super Bowl for the first time in 2027, and executives at both networks are designing their weekly lineups for that big moment in company history.
Required reading
(Photo: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
[ad_2]
Source