ESPN adds second sideline reporter to 'MNF' teams
The network said Tuesday that longtime NFL studio host and reporter Laura Rutledge will join Lisa Salters on the sidelines for all 20 games that feature Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the booth.
ESPN also announced a contract extension for Salters, who has been with ESPN and ABC since 2000 and will enter her 14th season on the 'Monday Night Football' broadcast. Rutledge signed an extension earlier this year, and she will continue to host 'NFL Live' and the Saturday morning show, 'SEC Nation.'
The second ESPN crew also is gaining a pair of permanent sideline reporters -- Peter Schrager, previously a sideline reporter with Fox and NFL Network, and Katie George, who has been a top ESPN and ABC college football sideline reporter. They are joining the team of Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick on weeks when there are two Monday night games.
ESPN is beginning to put all of its pieces in place as it prepares to host its first Super Bowl -- Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, 2027.
The 'Monday Night Football' season kicks off Sept. 8 when the Minnesota Vikings meet the Bears in Chicago, with the Buck-Aikman crew on the call.
Both broadcast teams will be in action on Sept. 15, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans play the early game, followed by the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders.
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