FOX Sports Hires ESPN’s Mark Schlereth As NFL Analyst

Mark Schlereth made his debut as an NFL analyst on Fox Sports 1 on Tuesday, the network announced, after spending 16 years with ESPN.

FOX Sports Mark Schlereth ESPN

Schlereth, 51, is the latest in a string of former ESPN on-air personalities whom FOX Sports has poached over the last year. Other notable people FOX Sports has recently signed from ESPN include Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd, Jason Whitlock, Andy Petree, Chris Broussard, Charissa Thompson, Cris Carter, and sideline reporter Erin Andrews.

Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was also hired by FS1 as an analyst after spending several years with ESPN.

Schlereth — a former Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins guard who won three Super Bowls — is expected to provide analysis on shows like Undisputed and Speak for Yourself.

FOX Sports has recently undergone several key changes. Former president of national networks Jamie Horowitz was fired last week following allegations of sexual harassment, and the network recently laid off about 20 members of its writing and editing staff in order to focus more on video production. In particular, FOX Sports hopes to invest in more opinion shows and digital content that has helped increase the network’s ratings by a larger margin than ESPN’s viewer numbers.

Schlereth is most known for his regular appearances on SportsCenter and NFL Live, and also regularly featured as a guest on 97.5 The Fanatic, where he often heavily criticized the Philadelphia Eagles.

There has been speculation that ESPN could steal one of FS1’s own contributors, however. Katie Nolan, a 30-year-old rising star at FOX Sports, has recently been rumored to move to ESPN. Nolan has been largely under the radar since her Emmy-winning FS1 show Garbage Time was cancelled. Horowitz hired Nolan to FOX Sports, and was reportedly set to meet with her the week he was terminated. Nolan — whose contract with FOX Sports expires at the end of the year — has already reportedly met with top ESPN executives including the network’s president, John Skipper. 

Nolan has previously stated that she would prefer to host a late-night show.

FORT WORTH, TX – FEBRUARY 03: Former NFL player Mark Schlereth attends the Bing National Tailgating Championship at Sundance Square on February 3, 2011 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Bing)