ESPN NFL reporter, N.J. native (and new mom) Dianna Russini lands multi-year contract extension

ESPN gave NFL reporter Dianna Russini a multi-year contract extension.
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Here’s a piece of football news worth mentioning: ESPN NFL reporter Dianna Russini will head into Week 1 of the 2021 NFL regular season armed with a new contract extension.

The Worldwide Leader made the announcement Friday. The deal keeps the New Jersey native front and center on ESPN’s coverage of the NFL.

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Here are the details:

ESPN has signed top NFL reporter and host Dianna Russini to a multi-year extension in advance of her fifth football season with the company. Widely respected throughout the League and among fellow media professionals and NFL fans, Russini will continue to break news and share live reports from stadiums around the League while contributing to ESPN’s most prominent platforms year-round. Currently on maternity leave, Russini will return to Sunday NFL Countdown, Fantasy Football Now, SportsCenter, Get Up and ESPN Radio later this season.

Since joining ESPN’s NFL team in 2017, Russini has deftly handled a multi-faceted role breaking news, obtaining key interviews, hosting shows, and providing live reports, analysis and features. Some of her recent, most memorable contributions include reporting from the sidelines in Oakland during the Week 1 Monday Night Football game in 2019, interviewing Titans’ head coach Mike Vrabel and All-Pro running back Derrick Henry in advance of last year’s AFC Championship, and reporting on how the reigning Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady became a Buccaneer. Additionally, Russini was first to report on two major signings earlier this year: Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans and Trent Williams re-signing with the San Francisco 49ers – which made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in League history.

“Dianna is so passionate about covering the NFL, and it shows in every assignment she works on,” said Seth Markman, ESPN vice president, production. “From an All-State athlete in four sports to an All-Star teammate here at ESPN, she is a terrific example of how hard work pays off.”

Russini added: “It’s such a special time to be covering the NFL, and there’s no better place to be doing it than at ESPN. I’m thrilled to be part of such a talented team—and I’m excited about the years to come.”

Since joining ESPN in 2015, Russini has hosted and appeared on a number of high-profile studio shows and worked NFL and XFL games for ESPN Radio and ABC, respectively. She also contributed to Monday Night Football’s digital pregame show, Monday Tailgate, in 2020.

Earlier in her career, Russini covered news and sports in Seattle, New York City, Westchester, N.Y., Connecticut and Washington, D.C., where she was the lead sports anchor for NBC’s WRC-TV.

A New York native raised in Nowood, N.J., Russini was an ABC News intern for Diane Sawyer and WABC, and she played Division 1 soccer at George Mason University.

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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.

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