Mike Greenberg will become the new host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” as ESPN assembles its lineup for its first Super Bowl in 2027, a source familiar with the matter told ESPN The Athletics on tuesday.
Greenberg replaces Sam Ponder, who was fired last week, with one year and more than $1 million left on her contract. Although she remains fully paid, ESPN has taken the step to get its books in order, with its fiscal year ending in late September.
But the Ponder decision was also intended to promote Greenberg, a longtime favorite of ESPN executives. As host of the daily “Get Up” on TV and “Greeny” on radio, Greenberg is already a ubiquitous presence on the network. Greenberg had a brief stint as the network’s lead NBA anchor before handing those duties over to Malika Andrews last season. He also anchors the NFL Draft on ESPN, which is considered a prestigious assignment.
Greenberg, 57, takes the job over Laura Rutledge, a rising star at the network. Though she’s on the rise, this is the second time in the past year that Rutledge, the anchor of the daily “NFL Live,” has lost out to a regular ESPN anchor.
Just before last season, Scott Van Pelt was named host of Monday Night Football’s “NFL Countdown” over Rutledge. Van Pelt’s Monday program has also been revamped, as Jason Kelce has replaced the recently fired Robert Griffin III. Kelce joins analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark on Mondays.
On Sunday, Greenberg’s main set features Randy Moss, Tedy Bruschi, Rex Ryan and Alex Smith, plus insider Adam Schefter.
ESPN and ABC will host the Super Bowl for the first time in 2027, and network executives are designing the weekly sets for that pivotal moment in the company’s history.
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