ESPN overhauls Monday Night Football coverage by adding Scott Van Pelt, former NFL stars

ESPN insider Adam Schefter revealed much-anticipated news from the network on Monday ahead of the 2023 NFL season. As reports have suggested over the last month, Scott Van Pelt is taking over as the lead host of Monday Night Countdown.

Schefter announced that SVP will host alongside ESPN regulars Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears. Also returning to the show are analyst Robert Griffin III, features reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck, as well as Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and Alex Smith.

Van Pelt discussed at length this offseason that he didn’t see himself continuing in his role as host of late-night SportsCenter long-term. Monday Night Countdown is an opportunity for him to stay in a primetime role with more excitement and fewer broadcasts.

“At some point, it’s Tuesday night and you’re following the White Sox and it’s like, that’s fun, too, but it’s just not the same level of juice as a night like this,” Van Pelt told Sports Illustrated. “Or you’re following taped programming, it’s a 30 for 30, and here you come. Coming off a game, at least there’s a game.”

He also went on record saying that he hadn’t taken the Monday Night Countdown role when reports initially leaked about his potential new gig.

ESPN made some cuts in late June, which signaled a shakeup for the show. The network laid off both Suzy Kolber and Steve Young. The two were hosts on the network’s NFL Monday Night Countdown pre-game show.

Van Pelt denies initial report of MNCD gig

Last month, Richard Deitsch of The Athletic reported that ESPN tabbed Van Pelt as the next lead host of the popular NFL program. But in an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, the longtime ESPN personality said that wasn’t the case. Another report claimed Van Pelt had landed the job over ESPN and SEC Network host Laura Rutledge.

“It was reported that I was the guy. And other than me not having been offered the job or accepting a job I haven’t been offered, it was spot on,” Van Pelt said. “God, that was weird. I mean, you read things and you’re like, ‘Whoa, whoa.’

“People were congratulating me! You hear an athlete or somebody in sports say, ‘Well, that’s just not true.’ And you kind of always think, ‘Sure it is.’ Well, this was a situation where something was reported about me, which was not accurate. Now, I don’t want to be coy and act like it couldn’t happen.”

Now, it appears Van Pelt has received and accepted the Monday Night Countdown job officially. The new crew will make their debut in Week One when the Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.