Sam Ponder Salary: What Was the ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown Host’s Salary?

By Harsh

Published on:

Find out Sam Ponder Salary after the sportscaster and Robert Griffin III were let go by ESPN. Continue reading.

After Samantha Ponder and Robert Griffin III were let go by ESPN on Thursday, the sportscaster is currently making waves. People are now interested in knowing the 38-year-old’s pay on the internet. The American native from Phoenix, Arizona, was about to start her final season of a three-year contract worth over $3 million, according to a story by the New York Times.

Ponder signed the agreement in 2022, close to the end of her contract; nevertheless, the network extended her Sunday NFL pregame job in addition to giving her other duties. According to reports, she had a net worth of almost $16 million in 2023.

The Athletic broke the initial word of her termination, and Fox News Digital later received confirmation from the network. Griffin worked as an analyst for ESPN, making appearances on multiple shows, while Ponder was the network’s most well-known face.

According to Marchand, Sam Ponder’s firing was reportedly due to budgetary concerns, as ESPN is almost after its fiscal year. Reports state that further choices may be made in addition to the two’s release at the end of September.

Who will take Sam Ponder’s place?

A rumor in USA Today suggests that NFL Live anchor Laura Rutledge and Get Up host Mike Greenberg could take Sam Ponder’s place on Sunday NFL Countdown. But as of right now, nothing has been verified.

In the meanwhile, Monday Night Countdown icon and former Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce has just taken Griffin’s seat. Griffin joined ESPN in 2021 to cover the National Football League. Ponder, on the other hand, has a longer tenure with the network. In 2011, she started working for ESPN as a reporter covering college basketball and football games.

Ponder contributed to the Longhorn Network as well. She went on to host the NFL Countdown later in 2017. Both will receive the money they are due under their contracts, a source who spoke with Fox News said.

Ponder and Griffin were informed of the decision the day before they were fired, according to a Hollywood Reporter report. The ESPN college football host and the sideline reporter for basketball are thought to be nearing the end of their contracts, which is around a year.

An examination of Sam Ponder’s path to ESPN

Born on December 11, 1985, Sam Ponder replaced Erin Andrews as co-host of ESPNU’s Saturday edition and College GameDay Saturdays. In addition to her work on College Gameday, she has been a regular sideline reporter for the network’s Thursday Night College Football.

After graduating from high school, she applied to work as a hostess at ESPN when she was in New York. She met Ben Keeperman, an ABC Sports Radio manager and researcher on college football, at the ESPN Zone.

In the meanwhile, this led to her being offered an internship, and eventually, she was able to secure a position with the network as their researcher assistant for ABC-TV’s college football studio show.

Ponder was offered a position as a sideline reporter for the Liberty Flames sports television network by Bruce Carey, the university’s senior sports producer, after she transferred to Liberty University.

After graduating in 2009, she went on to work as a sideline reporter for FOX Sports covering college football and basketball events in the Pac-10 and Big 12. She started working for ESPN’s Longhorn Network in that year. After her employment, she moved to Austin, Texas, where she became one of the network’s most recognizable faces.

Also Read:

Rings of Power Season 2 Trailer: All the Details You Missed

10-year-old boy reported missing, discovered dead after kayaking in Pennsylvania Creek

Leave a Comment