ESPN has promoted broadcaster Molly McGrath to its NFL coverage, assigning her to report on NFL Network games and serve as the primary fill-in host for "NFL Live." The move comes as ESPN prepares to air its first Super Bowl broadcast in 2027.
McGrath joined ESPN in 2016, initially covering college football for ESPN and ABC Saturday games. She expressed enthusiasm for the expanded role, stating in a comment to Front Office Sports, "I’m thrilled to expand my role within ESPN’s NFL coverage and for the opportunity to showcase a broader range of skills, from sideline reporting to hosting in studio, while diving deeper into the sport at the highest level."
In addition to her new NFL duties, McGrath previously worked as a production assistant at ESPN in 2011. Her promotion follows a recent integration of NFL Network talent into ESPN and its parent company, Disney, which began on April 1, stemming from Disney's $3 billion acquisition of NFL Network announced in January. This integration has led to some personnel changes within ESPN's on-air talent.
Earlier in the week, ESPN implemented another round of layoffs affecting on-air personalities. These reductions were attributed by ESPN/Disney Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, in an internal memo, to redundancies resulting from the acquisition of the NFL Network.