Report: Rich Eisen to return to ESPN in Fall

After over 20 years away, Rich Eisen is slated to return to ESPN, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. The Rich Eisen Show will go from Roku to ESPN in the fall, per the report.

The program runs daily from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET and it could land on ESPN Radio and viewed as an “anchor” for the network. Similarly to The Pat McAfee Show, Eisen’s show will be licensed by ESPN so he’ll maintain ownership and editorial control.

Back in 2003, Eisen left ESPN for NFL Network to become the face of the channel. He will remain the featured host on NFL Network’s GameDay and NFL Draft coverage, per Marchand. The esteemed host will also call select regular season games for NFL Network.

Eisen wasn’t the only one approached about an ESPN return. The four-letter-network tried luring Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd back to its airwaves this year.

ESPN is currently in advanced talks for NFL Media and that means the partnership between Eisen and the network could grow. All of this comes ahead of ESPN’s direct to consumer service nears launch.

Rich Eisen slated for ESPN return in 2025

“The addition of Eisen is considered additive to ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ which is also scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. ET daily, with placement on ESPN’s top channel for its first two hours,” Marchand wrote. “When ESPN licensed McAfee’s program on a five-year deal for more than $85 million, a big part of its thinking was its reimagined app and the direct-to-consumer product.

“Like McAfee, Eisen figures to have prominent placement on the app. Eisen’s program will also be featured on ESPN+, the network’s current, niche streaming-only option, and Disney+. (He) will not be on any of ESPN’s linear networks, which include ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNews.”

Eisen has previously licensed his program, which began in 2014, to numerous networks. It aired on NBC Sports and Peacock before moving to Roku in 2022. It also distributed by Westwood one across the country on radio and airs on Sirius XM.

Eisen worked for ESPN from 1996-2003 and was known for his part of a duo with Stuart Scott on SportsCenter. He joined NFL Network shortly thereafter, becoming a staple of the network.