Total Pro Sports
NFL fans will see a familiar face missing from Fox Sports broadcasts this fall. Laura Okmin, one of the most respected and recognizable voices on the sidelines, is stepping away after more than two decades with the network. As the 2025 season creeps closer, Fox’s coverage is getting a notable shake-up.
Okmin confirmed her departure to Front Office Sports on June 18, bringing to an end a 23-year run that spanned countless big games and 20 Super Bowls. She didn’t leave because Fox pushed her out. In fact, they offered her a new contract. But after years of telling others’ stories, she knew it was time to turn the page on her own.
“They sent me the contract. I printed it out. I sat there. It was just my voice saying, ‘It’s time, this is it,’” Okmin told FOS. “I’m happy to say [my boss] was very surprised. I would have been very disappointed if there was any other reaction.”
Okmin’s decision wasn’t sudden. She’s been building something meaningful off the field for years. Her company, GALvanize, has quietly become a go-to mentorship space for women breaking into sports media. With more than two decades of experience and perspective, Okmin says she wants to put her full energy into guiding the next generation.
That doesn’t mean her work on the sidelines lacked meaning. She spent the 2024 NFL season alongside play-by-play man Kevin Kugler and analyst Daryl “Moose” Johnston, bringing her trademark insight and poise to every broadcast. But as she told FOS, the job hasn’t always been easy.
“Honestly, it’s a tough job having to justify your job for 20 years. Having to fight for your job and having to justify it,” she said. “It feels like there’s a bit of dog years with that job.”
Okmin joined Fox Sports in 2002 and quickly carved out a name for herself in a competitive space. She became the third-longest tenured NFL sideline reporter in league history. Her decision to walk away wasn’t about fatigue. It was about making space for something new.
Fox still has a deep sideline roster that includes Erin Andrews, Pam Oliver, Tom Rinaldi, Kristina Pink, Megan Olivi, and Jen Hale. But losing Okmin leaves a real gap, not just on camera, but behind the scenes, where her mentorship and quiet leadership carried just as much weight.
