Rich Eisen to anchor ‘SportsCenter’ in special appearance amid ESPN return

Long time sports host Rich Eisen will anchor SportsCenter at 11 p.m. ET following Monday Night Football this evening, per a release. Once the Cincinnati Bengals-Washington Commanders game concludes Monday night, Eisen will grace the desk for the first time in 20 years.

“As a custom, SportsCenter hosted by Eisen, will deliver highlights, player interviews, and expert analysis, along with a preview of the 2025 NFL season,” the release read. “Eisen will be joined in-studio by ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes.”

Earlier this summer, it was announced Eisen would return to the network, taking his radio show The Rich Eisen Show back to the ESPN airwaves. The Rich Eisen Show will air national from 12 noon ET to 3 p.m. ET beginning September 2nd.

It’ll be the staple of ESPN Radio in less than two months and also appear on Disney+ and ESPN+. The four-letter-network’s direct to consumer app is set to debut this fall.

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand also reported Eisen will host his own podcast for ESPN that is yet-to-be-named. It’ll center around him interviewing former SportsCenter colleagues. 

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. Now, he can add YouTube to his resume, since he’s the leading candidate to do play-by-play for YouTube’s first NFL broadcast this coming season.

In February, the NFL announced its return to  Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil for a Friday night Week 1 game, kicking off the 2025 International Games. The Los Angeles Chargers will play in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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