Sam Ponder Salary: How Much Did the Sunday NFL Countdown Host Make at ESPN? (2024)

Know how much is Sam Ponder's salary after the sportscaster was fired by ESPN alongside Robert Griffin III. Read on.

What is Sam Ponder's Salary? (PC: Instagram)

Samantha Ponder is currently grabbing headlines after the sportscaster was fired by ESPN alongside Robert Griffin III on Thursday. Users on the internet are now curious to know how much salary the 38-year-old was paid. According to a report by the New York Times, the Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. native was entering her final season of a three-year deal, which was worth more than $3 million.

Ponder signed the deal back in 2022, when she was nearing the end of her contract; however, her role on the Sunday NFL pregame was extended alongside some additional responsibilities at the network. Her net worth in 2023 was reported to be around $16 million.

The news of her being fired was first reported by The Athletic, and later, it was confirmed by the network itself to Fox News Digital. While Ponder was one of the main faces of ESPN, Griffin was an analyst for the network, appearing on several shows.

It has been said that the reason behind the firing of Sam Ponder is budget-related, per Marchand, while ESPN is nearing the end of its fiscal year. According to reports, more decisions could be made alongside the release of the two at the end of September.

Who is replacing Sam Ponder?

As per a report in USA Today, the potential replacement for Sam Ponder on Sunday NFL Countdown might be NFL Live host Laura Rutledge and Get Up host Mike Greenberg. However, nothing has been confirmed as of now.

Meanwhile, Griffin, who joined ESPN in 2021 for the coverage of the National Football League, was recently replaced by former Philadelphia Eagles star and legend Jason Kelce from Monday Night Countdown. On the other hand, Ponder has been with the network for longer. She joined ESPN in 2011 as a reporter for college football and basketball broadcasts.

Ponder also reported on the Longhorn Network. Later, in 2017, she became the host of the NFL Countdown. Meanwhile, according to a source who communicated to Fox News, both will be paid what they owed in their contracts.

Meanwhile, a report in the Hollywood Reporter stated that Ponder and Griffin were told about the decision earlier the day they were let go. It is believed that the host for ESPN college football and a basketball sideline reporter have about a year left on their deal.

A look at Sam Ponder’s journey to ESPN

Sam Ponder, who was born on December 11, 1985, had taken over Erin Andrews on College GameDay Saturdays and as a co-host of the Saturday edition on ESPNU. She has been a regular sideline reporter for the network’s Thursday Night College Football in addition to her work on College Gameday.

While she was in New York after high school, she applied for a job at ESPN as a hostess. At the ESPN Zone, she met Ben Keeperman, a college football researcher and manager with ABC Sports Radio.

Meanwhile, this resulted in her getting an internship opportunity, and later, she managed to get a job at the network as their researcher assistant with ABC-TV on the college football studio show.

After Ponder transferred to Liberty University, the Sr. Sports Producer of the University, Bruce Carey, offered her a job as a sideline reporter for the Liberty Flames sports television network.

She then joined FOX Sports as a sideline reporter for Pac-10 and Big 12 college basketball and football games following her graduation in 2009. It was in 2011 when she began her work for ESPN's Longhorn Network in 2011. She later relocated to Austin, Texas, following her work to become one of the well-known faces of the network.

Disclaimer: All amounts mentioned in the article are sourced from public platforms. In some cases, celebrities or their teams give their inputs too, which we incorporate if provided by them. We take all efforts to share possible accurate numbers. However, unless otherwise mentioned, they are all approximates. We are open to feedback and suggestions on editorial@pinkvilla.com.

ALSO READ: Why ESPN Fired Robert Griffin III and Who Will Replace Him? Here’s What We Know So Far