ESPN Announces Contract Extension With Laura Rutledge

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.”