Monday through Friday, NFL fans can find NFL Live on ESPN at 4 p.m. ET. The hour-long show delivers NFL analysis from its cadre of analysts, ranging from film and stat breakdowns to more traditional studio-style debate formats. Here are analysts who make up the regular host and cast personnel on the show.
Laura Rutledge
Laura Rutledge has hosted the show since 2020, succeeding Wendi Nix. She originally joined ESPN in 2014 while working for SEC Nation.
Rutledge is also a regular presence as a sideline reporter during Monday Night Football. She works the sidelines with the crew of Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, and Louis Riddick during weeks when ESPN broadcasts multiple games.
Rutledge earned her degree in broadcasting from the University of Florida. She is married to former Major League Baseball player Josh Rutledge and has two children: Reese (born October 2019) and Jack (May 2023).
Dan Orlovsky
Orlovsky has been with ESPN since 2018 as an NFL and college football analyst. He appears on various ESPN studio shows during the week in addition to NFL Live, including Get Up, First Take, and SportsCenter.
Orlovsky began appearing on NFL Live in 2019 and became part of the main cast in 2020. He calls a weekly college football game for ESPN/ABC and also calls ESPN NFL doubleheader games with Fowler and Riddick.
A former quarterback, Orlovsky was a 12-year NFL veteran who appeared in games for the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is also the all-time leading passer for the University of Connecticut Huskies.
Mina Kimes
Mina Kimes wears many hats for ESPN, including NFL analyst, senior writer, podcast host, and television contributor. A Yale graduate, Kimes first joined ESPN the Magazine in 2014 before becoming a regular NFL Live contributor in 2020.
Kimes hosts The Mina Kimes Show Featuring Lenny football podcast and launched the ESPN Daily podcast in October 2019. In addition to NFL Live, she appears on much of ESPN’s daytime studio programming, including SportsCenter, First Take, Get Up, Around the Horn, and Pardon the Interruption.
Kimes was an investigative reporter for Bloomberg News (2013) and a business writer for Fortune Magazine (2007-13) prior to her arrival at ESPN. In addition to her work with the company, she also calls preseason games for the Los Angeles Rams.
Kimes also announced that she will be calling The Simpsons Funday Football broadcast, an alternative animated broadcast of the Week 14 Monday night game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys. She will call the game with her NFL Live teammate, Orlovsky.
As a lifelong Simpsons fan, pretty damn excited to call this with @danorlovsky7, the Bart to my Lisa 🤓 https://t.co/CDlhpNBzmQ
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 29, 2024
Marcus Spears
Marcus Spears initially joined ESPN as a college football analyst for the SEC Network in 2014. He began appearing as an analyst on NFL Live in 2019. He is a regular contributor to ESPN’s studio programming as an NFL analyst, including SportsCenter, Get Up, and First Take.
A former defensive end, Spears played nine seasons in the NFL for the Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He was a first-round pick out of LSU in the 2005 NFL Draft and was part of LSU’s national championship-winning team in 2003 under Nick Saban.
In addition to his work on television, Spears and his friend Kendrick Perkins (former NBA veteran) host the show Swagu & Perk, where they discuss the NFL, NBA, culture, and life.
Ryan Clark
Ryan Clark joined ESPN in February 2015, the same day he retired from his 13-year NFL career. Clark regularly appears on ESPN studio programming beyond NFL Live, including Get Up, SportsCenter, and First Take.
He won his first Sports Emmy in 2023 in the Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst category.
A former NFL safety, Clark played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and Washington. He was a Pro Bowler in 2011 for the Steelers and was a starter on the team’s Super Bowl XLIII championship team after the 2008 season.
A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Clark also played at LSU, where he was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2000.