• Loading stock data...
Saturday, June 7, 2025

ESPN Announces Contract Extension With Laura Rutledge

ESPN said it has signed Laura Rutledge to a multi-year contract extension.

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Nation host Laura Rutledge speaks prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field.
Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images.

ESPN has locked up one its brightest young stars with a new long-term deal.

The network said it has signed Laura Rutledge to a multi-year contract extension.

The 36-year-old rising star will continue to host NFL Live and SEC Nation. She’ll also maintain and pick up more marquee NFL and college football sideline reporter assignments, including post-season games.

“Laura is a consummate professional and wonderful teammate,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, in a statement. “Her versatility allows us to utilize her in multiple roles, across numerous sports, throughout the year. We are fortunate to have her.”

Rutledge, an 11-year veteran of ESPN, also contributes to the network’s annual coverage of the NFL Draft and to studio shows such as Get Up and First Take.

During Super Bowl week in New Orleans, Rutledge spoke to Front Office Sports about how she balances her heavy workload with family life that includes two young children. 

“What I’ve found with little kids especially is that even just sitting and playing with them for 30 minutes is valuable time to them—and it’s valuable time to me,” Rutledge said. 

“I think I get more out of it even than they do. I try to find time to sit my daughter down and say—‘Look at me, let me tell you how proud of you I am, let me tell you how amazing you are’—so that those are the things that are circling in her mind when I’m not there. My son is 19 months old so he doesn’t understand a lot of the time. He’s very attached to me, so that’s been really hard. Even coming here [to New Orleans], I’ve guilted myself about it—I couldn’t do an emotional goodbye with him, so I had to sneak out of the house.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Aliyah Boston
exclusive

Sky–Fever Will Not Break WNBA Attendance Record

United Center renovations mean the league attendance record is off the table.
Tamika Catchings

The Sky–Fever Rivalry Wasn’t Born Yesterday

The teams fixated on each other well before Clark and Reese.

Texas Knocks Down NIL-Heavy Texas Tech to Win WCWS

Even without making NIL headlines, the Longhorns invest big in softball.

Featured Today

Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros
June 4, 2025

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate their 34-23 win over Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.

ESPN Expected to Sublicense College Football Playoff Semifinal to TNT Sports

The agreement would add onto the current sublicense between ESPN and TNT.
hanson_smiling
May 30, 2025

Scott Hanson Agrees to Long-Term Deal for NFL RedZone

His contract expired after the 2024 season.
June 4, 2025

As TNT Sports Shifts, WBD Investors Reject $52M Zaslav Pay

Company shareholders reject the executive’s pay in a non-binding vote.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 30, 2025

French Open Scheduling Sparks Backlash Over Women’s Time Slots

Coco Gauff has also said the French Open schedule could be improved.
May 30, 2025

Panthers-Oilers Rematch Could Be Big in Canada. Will U.S. Ratings Dip?

Likely viewership declines in the U.S. are countered by robust Canadian audiences.
May 28, 2025

NBA East Finals Delivers Strong TV Ratings, but West Is Struggling

The Pacers and Thunder are both up 3–1 in their conference finals series.
Around the Horn
May 23, 2025

Behind the Scenes of Around the Horn’s Final Days

FOS followed Tony Reali at the penultimate taping of the ESPN icon.