Mina Kimes has created a strong, growing brand in becoming one of the more popular NFL personalities in today’s media.
The ESPN personality is known for mixing her wit and humor with analytics through both television and social media. In the process, she’s manifested a massive following of football fans.
But while the football realm knows her for her constant presence during the NFL season, very few know about how much she earns financially.
What is Mina Kimes’ Net Worth?
A subsequent question: Does ESPN hand her millions of dollars?
Kimes has made numerous appearances across different ESPN platforms, first as a contributor to the now-canceled “Highly Questionable,” to making regular appearances on “Around the Horn,” all the way to her current work on “NFL Live.” She also has her own podcast.
With her constant musical chairs in going from show-to-show on ESPN, she’s indeed one of the more wealthy media personalities on the network.
Kimes has a net worth of close to $2 million. That includes the $1.7 million deal she agreed to in September 2023 with ESPN.
Where Was Kimes Before Rise With ESPN?
Kimes wasn’t covering the league when she began her journalism career. She didn’t even high school sports like how most early sports journalists do.
The 39-year-old native of Omaha, Neb., was an English major at Yale University. Her first writing endeavor was at Fortune Small Business Magazine in 2007. She got her early reporting chops as a business reporter.
Kimes also showed her ability to dig deep for stories involving one piece, which won her an award.
Back in 2012, she led an investigation piece called “Bad to the Bone,” which explored the unauthorized use of cement to repair bone tissue with legal consequences. Her reporting led to Kimes winning the Henry R. Luce Award — given to the journalist who exhibits “editorial excellence in print, digital, and multimedia categories” through Time Inc.
Kimes eventually joined Bloomberg News as an investigative reporter in 2013. Her notable writing credits there include a feature on Sears executive Eddie Lampert, which was a piece titled “The Sun Tzu at Sears.” Her work earned her The Front Page Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York.
Kimes has had a unique journey to ESPN. Even more astonishing was how she officially got to the network.
How Did Kimes Land at ESPN?
Tumblr helped lead Kimes to employment at ESPN.
She wrote about the bond she and her father had for the Seattle Seahawks, which eventually led her to an editor position in 2014.
Kimes witnessed a popularity boom from there. She wrote feature articles on Aaron Rodgers, Darrelle Revis, and De’Andre Hopkins, the last of which centered on the wide receiver’s blind mother. Plus, she co-wrote an in-depth reporting piece with Jeff Passan on sexual harassment claims against former New York Mets general manager Jared Porter.
Of course, fans know Kimes more through her constant social media presence and daily appearances across various ESPN shows. She’s in her 10th year with ESPN.