NFL Live will look very different when the 2020 season kicks off. This week, ESPN announced the year-round weekday NFL show will relaunch in August with a new host and analysts. Laura Rutledge is the new host of NFL Live and will be joined by a roster of analysts including Marcus Spears, Dan Orlovsky, Keyshawn Johnson, and Mina Kimes. Along with the new host and analysts, NFL reporters Jeff Darlington, Dan Graziano, Kimberley A. Martin, Chris Mortensen, Louis Riddick, Dianna Russini, Adam Schefter, Field Yates, and others will be seen on the show. And NFL analyst Ryan Clark will join NFL Live on Fridays.
“The kickoff of the 2020 NFL season presents an exciting opportunity to reimagine NFL Live with a new commentator team that brings a wealth of football intelligence and a built-in chemistry,” Seth Markman, ESPN vice president, production, said in a press release. “Laura, Marcus, Dan, Mina and Keyshawn have all excelled in their respective roles across ESPN platforms – and have already worked closely together. The daily conversations they will have about the NFL is something we hope fans will really learn from and enjoy.”
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Rutledge originally joined ESPN in 2014 as a reporter for the SEC Network in 2014. She recently has been seen on the morning show Get Up as a permanent contributor. Rutledge is also the host of the SEC Network’s Saturday college football pregame show SEC Nation, a position she has held for three years and will continue to do along with her responsibilities with NFL Live.
“Mina, Marcus, Dan and Keyshawn are all exceptionally talented and a whole lot of fun, and I can’t wait to work with them,” Rutledge said in a statement. “We are committed to bringing fans the best NFL coverage. This is a dream come true for me.” Rutledge becomes the third host of NFL Live since its inception in 2003. She replaces Wendy Nix, who recently went to Twitter to announce she will remain with ESPN.
“The new NFL Live crew will be fantastic. And fun!” Nix wrote on Twitter when replying to a fan. “I’m staying right here to work on some other projects that we will talk about soon.” Nix joined ESPN in 2006 and became the primary host of NFL Live in February 2018.
