Monday Night Football (MNF) and Monday Night Countdown are back on ESPN for the 2024 NFL season behind a cast of veteran announcers, commentators, and reporters.
First running on ABC from 1970 to 2005, Monday Night Football switched homes to ESPN starting in 2006. The iconic NFL show is the top name for coverage of Monday night professional football games, and its reach has only expanded over the years.
The 2024 NFL season will feature 25 games over the 18-week season, coming 24 hours each week after Sunday Night Football and its cast of professionals take the weekend spotlight.
As fans also keep up with behind-the-scenes action with multiple variants of the NFL's Hard Knocks show, Monday nights provide the main stories of the season.
ESPN's 2024 Cast for Monday Night Football & Monday Night Countdown
Joe Buck
Joe Buck is a figurehead of sports broadcasting, even with only two years of work at ESPN thus far.
He started his career as a broadcaster with Fox Sports in 1994 and spent the better part of 27 years calling games for the NFL, MLB, and other sports. During his time with ESPN, he also called the PGA Championship and hosted multiple football-centric shows on the network.
Monday Night Football features him as the lead play-by-play commentator, narrating every Monday game and adding to the excitement of the big plays.
Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman first became a star NFL quarterback after the Dallas Cowboys selected him with the first overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.
He then played 12 seasons in the NFL (all with the Cowboys), winning three Super Bowl championships and being awarded the MVP of Super Bowl XXVII while making six Pro Bowl appearances. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Aikman worked as a color commentator for the NFL on Fox from 2001 to 2021 and joined Monday Night Football on ESPN in 2022. With 13 years of work together, he and Buck are the longest-tenured announcing pairing in NFL history.
- X: @TroyAikman
- Instagram: @troyaikman
- Wikipedia: Troy Aikman
- IMDb: Troy Aikman
Lisa Salters
After playing college basketball at Penn State University, Lisa Salters went on to have a highly successful career as a journalist and reporter for multiple major networks.
She has been a reporter for ESPN since 2000, covering multiple sports and news stories in her time with the network. This includes ESPN's coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy and ESPN's work on the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
In addition to her work with the NFL, Salters is a sideline reporter and co-producer for ABC's coverage of the NBA.
- X: @saltersl
- Instagram: @lisa_salters
- Wikipedia: Lisa Salters
- IMDb: Lisa Salters
Laura Rutledge
Joining Monday Night Football for Week 1 is veteran sideline reporter Laura Rutledge, who previously worked in the same position for Fox Sports. Before that, she covered Fox broadcasts of games for the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres.
In the football world, Rutledge hosted multiple live shows for the San Diego Chargers and worked at Fox Sports San Diego, covering the team. She also previously hosted NFL Live for ESPN starting in 2020.
- X: @LauraRutledge
- Instagram: @lauramrutledge
- Wikipedia: Laura Rutledge
- IMDb: Laura Rutledge
Scott Van Pelt
One of ESPN's biggest names, Scott Van Pelt, takes on a role with the Monday Night Football team as the host of Monday Night Countdown.
After working for the Golf Channel in the late 1990s, Van Pelt began his career as a host and anchor at ESPN in 2001. He helped lead coverage for the PGA tour for years and hosted shows on ESPN Radio, and he now hosts his midnight edition of ESPN SportsCenter.
He joined Monday Night Countdown in 2023. The show serves as a lead-up to Monday Night Football games, providing fans with everything they need to know about each game about to be played.
- X: @notthefakeSVP
- Wikipedia: Scott Van Pelt
- IMDb: Scott Van Pelt
Ryan Clark
Monday Night Football features longtime ESPN veteran and former NFL safety Ryan Clark. Clark played for four teams in his 13-year career, earning a Pro Bowl nomination with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011 and winning a championship with the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
Clark joined ESPN as an NFL analyst in 2015 and has appeared on shows such as NFL Live, SportsCenter, Get Up!, and First Take.
- X: @Realrclark25
- Instagram: @realclark
- Wikipedia: Ryan Clark
- IMDb: Ryan Clark
Jason Kelce
Former NFL center Jason Kelce will take on a role with Monday Night Countdown as an analyst for the first time in 2024.
Kelce is fresh off a successful career in the NFL. He played with the Philadelphia Eagles for his entire 13-year run in the league. He also won a championship with Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII, made six All-Pro First teams, and was named to seven Pro Bowls.
Along with his work on ESPN, Kelce has hosted his podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, with his brother Travis since 2022. Travis is known as a three-time Super Bowl champion and has made headlines for his public relationship with Grammy-winning musician Taylor Swift.
- X: @JasonKelce
- Instagram: @jason.kelce
- Wikipedia: Jason Kelce
- IMDb: Jason Kelce
Marcus Spears
Marcus Spears played defensive end in the NFL for nine seasons, spending the first eight with the Dallas Cowboys before ending his career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.
Spears worked with the SEC/ESPN Network in 2012, hosting shows like SEC Nation and Thinking Out Loud.
Now, in addition to his work on Monday Night Countdown, Spears regularly appears on ESPN morning shows such as Get Up!, First Take, and NFL Live.
- X: @mspears96
- Instagram: @mspear96
- Wikipedia: Marcus Spears
- IMDb: Marcus Spears
Michelle Beisner-Buck
Monday Night Football becomes a family affair with the addition of Michelle Beisner-Buck, who has been married to lead announcer Joe Buck since 2014.
After cheerleading and dancing for the Denver Broncos, Beisner-Buck worked as a pit reporter for the Champ Car World Series on ESPN. She also hosted multiple sports shows in Denver, Colorado and worked as a field reporter and entertainment emcee.
The longtime sports veteran joined ESPN in 2014 and has worked as a features reporter for Monday Night Football ever since.
- X: @MichelleBeisner
- Instagram: @michellebeisner
- Wikipedia: Michelle Beisner-Buck
- IMDb: Michelle Beisner-Buck
Adam Schefter
Adam Schefter has been with ESPN since 2009, primarily working as an NFL reporter while tackling select other sports (including professional basketball).
Schefter also worked at The Denver Post and NFL Network, covering the NFL's latest breaking stories daily.
- X: @AdamSchefter
- Instagram: @adamschefter
- Wikipedia: Adam Schefter
- IMDb: Adam Schefter
Monday Night Countdown airs every Monday night on ESPN at 6 p.m. ET before Monday Night Football kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.
