Mina Kimes and her career as an on-air personality have been on the rise since she became an NFL analyst at ESPN in 2020. The company laid off over two dozen employees, including Suzy Kolber after nearly three decades with ESPN.
Kolber has hosted Monday Night Countdown since 2017, and Kimes could be her successor as the host. One major reason for this rumor is that ESPN will be the home of future Super Bowls in 2026 and 2030.
In January 2017, Kimes co-hosted ESPN Radio’s national weekend show The Morning Roast with former NFL player Domonique Foxworth and journalist Clinton Yates.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
She has also contributed to special ESPN live Twitter shows, and, since 2018, the network's digital NFL draft coverage. She gives football analysis on ESPN programming on shows such as Get Up, SportsCenter, and First Take.
Kimes is also a regular contributor to Around the Horn and the daily digital show Debatable.
The Omaha, Nebraska, native has led the way in ESPN’s podcasting endeavors. She currently hosts The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny podcast. In October 2019, Kimes also started the ESPN Daily podcast.
When does Mina Kimes' contract expire with ESPN?
Kimes' contract expires this year as competitors such as Bill Simmons (The Ringer) and Dan Le Batard (Meadowlark Media) are in the running for her services. She was on The Pivot podcast with ESPN colleague Ryan Clark in March this year.
The rising ESPN star talked about how her nerves were when first being on-air with the network:
“I used to be so nervous about f**king up. Paralyzed. Some of that is because of my identity…I was very anxious about making mistakes. I was constantly like ‘Who the hell cares what Mina Kimes thinks of this team?’
"Because when you’re a reporter, you’re bringing people a story. People reading it cause they’re interested in Jalen Ramsey."
Without question, the diehard Seattle Seahawks fan has found her place as one of the top NFL analysts in the industry. We will see if ESPN makes Kimes the successor to Kolber on Monday Night Countdown.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit The Pivot podcast and H/T Sportskeeda.