ESPN Signs Chris Fowler to New Multi-Year Agreement; Marquee Event Play-by-Play Commentator Teams with Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick, and Laura Rutledge to Call Five NFL Games This Season

- NFL on ESPN’s 25-Game 2023-24 Season Slate Features Five Weeks with Multiple Games; Three Mondays with Two Games Overlapping
- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Lisa Salters to Call Monday Night Football Each Week; Rules Analyst John Parry Involved in All Telecasts
- Fowler Adds NFL Role as Part of New Multi-Year Deal, Continues Lead Play-by-Play of ESPN/ABC College Football and Grand Slam Tennis
ESPN’s 2023-24 NFL season slate will feature 25 games, a nearly 40% increase from its annual offerings under the previous rights agreement, and includes three weeks of multiple Monday Night Football games on the same night and five occurrences of multiple productions in the same week.
ESPN’s dynamic start to the season includes three multi-week presentations in the first four weeks. After calling Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets debut on ESPN and ABC in Week 1, Monday Night Football’s Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters will call the Browns at Steelers in Week 2, followed by the Eagles at Buccaneers in Week 3. Both games will air on ABC and stream on ESPN+.
On the same back-to-back Mondays following the MNF season opener, ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick and Laura Rutledge will call Saints at Panthers (Week 2) and Rams at Bengals (Week 3). Both games will air on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fowler assumes the new assignment following ESPN signing the marquee event play-by-player commentator to a new multi-year deal.
ESPN’s rules analyst John Parry will be involved in all four telecasts during Weeks 2 and 3.
Games will begin at 7:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. ET, respectively, with ESPN airing the first game in Week 2 and ABC airing the first game in Week 3. Monday Night Football will also feature two games in Week 14, with both games starting at 8:15 p.m.
In the 2022-23 season, ESPN offered fans multiple Monday Night Football games in the same night, which resulted in Disney’s platforms averaging nearly 21 million viewers during two hours of overlapping action.
ESPN+ to Stream International Game Between Falcons and Jaguars in Week 4
In Week 4, Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick and Rutledge will call Falcons-Jaguars on ESPN+ from Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 9:30 a.m. to begin the NFL’s annual International Series. The following day, Buck, Aikman and Salters will call Seahawks-Giants from MetLife Stadium on Monday Night Football on ESPN (8:15 p.m.).
ESPN/ABC Broadcaster Schedule for Weeks with Multiple Game Presentations
NFL Week |
Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Broadcasters | Network |
2 | Mon, Sep 18 | 7:15 p.m. | Saints at Panthers | Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick, Rutledge | ESPN |
8:15 p.m. | Browns at Steelers | Buck, Aikman, Salters | ABC | ||
3 | Mon, Sep 25 | 7:15 p.m. | Eagles at Buccaneers | Buck, Aikman, Salters | ABC |
8:15 p.m. | Rams at Bengals | Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick, Rutledge | ESPN | ||
4 | Sun, Oct 1 | 9:30 a.m. | Falcons at Jaguars from Wembley Stadium in London | Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick, Rutledge | ESPN+ |
Mon, Oct 2 | 8:15 p.m. | Seahawks at Giants | Buck, Aikman, Salters | ESPN | |
14 | Mon, Dec 11 | 8:15 p.m. | Titans at Dolphins | Buck, Aikman, Salters
or Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick, Rutledge |
ESPN |
8:15 p.m. | Packers at Giants | Buck, Aikman, Salters
or Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick, Rutledge |
ABC | ||
18 | Sat, Jan 6 | 4:30 p.m. | TBD | Buck, Aikman, Salters
or Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick, Rutledge |
ESPN and ABC |
8:15 p.m. | TBD | Buck, Aikman, Salters
or Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick, Rutledge |
ESPN and ABC |
Please note: Rules analyst John Parry Involved in Each Telecast
Fowler Adds NFL Games to Expansive Portfolio Under New Agreement
Fowler’s new agreement with ESPN further solidifies one of ESPN’s longest-tenured voices with company, who has progressed over a quarter century to be one of the most respected hosts and play-by-play commentators in television. Under the new agreement, he will continue with his many existing roles, including ESPN’s lead college football and Grand Slam tennis play-by-play commentator. In those roles, he calls ABC Saturday Night Football and the College Football Playoff National Championship, as well as Wimbledon, the US Open and more. Fowler has previously called NFL games for ESPN, first in 2020 and then again in 2021.
ESPN/Disney See Multiple New Enhancements Under New NFL Rights Agreement
Multiple Monday Night Football games during three weeks of the season is one of the many enhancements for ESPN/Disney in the new rights agreement with the NFL. Also added this year, and each subsequent season of the deal, is an annual Divisional playoff game and flex scheduling beginning in Week 12. ESPN will produce the Super Bowl following the 2026 and 2030 seasons, which will air on ESPN and ABC. The ESPN+ international game and Week 18 doubleheader are also part of the new agreement and were implemented in the previous two seasons.
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Contact: Derek Volner ([email protected]) and Lily Blum ([email protected])