Pat McAfee is expected to sign contract with ESPN.
According to The New York Post, ESPN is now the leading candidate to host McAfee’s daily show, The Pat McAfee Show, as he considers walking away from his $120 million deal with FanDuel.
McAfee has become a multi-platform sensation thanks to his work with WWE, his daily YouTube show, and his appearances on ESPN’s College GameDay, but he’s now aiming for a bigger deal with ESPN.
While no agreement has been reached, sources close to the situation have told The Post that ESPN is in the lead to bring McAfee on board. This comes after McAfee recently tweeted a picture of a meeting he had with Disney CEO Bob Iger, which you can see below.
McAfee said on Monday’s show that he was working on something that would be revealed in the next ten days. That timeline corresponds to the Disney Upfronts, which are set for Tuesday, May 16. If the deal goes through, it would not be surprising to see ESPN officially introduce McAfe at the Upfronts next Tuesday.
The exact amount McAfee would earn in a new deal is unknown, but it is expected to be in the eight-figure range per year. It could be less than the $30 million-plus per year FanDuel deal he is considering leaving.
In recent meetings, ESPN executives stated that they would only do a McAfee deal if it made financial sense. There has been no word on how McAfee will be used by the company beyond his daily show and GameDay. McAfee and his team will most likely keep the three-hour daily show, which is expected to be kept on YouTube, but a component, perhaps an hour-long format, could be produced to air on ESPN because putting it on linear TV would make it more likely for the numbers to add up.
The role of McAfee’s longtime friends, who contribute significantly to the show, will likely grow under the ESPN umbrella, according to the Post. ESPN’s Audio division, which includes podcasts, could be a platform for them to try to expand “The Brand,” a slogan McAfee has used in his post-NFL career. These types of deals frequently include ESPN+. McAfee and his associates have made a point of being genuine.
“Can people please have faith that I am too dumb to change,” McAfee said on his program earlier today after The Post’s story went online. “You know what I mean? I understand that. It’s part of the conversation now. ‘Hey, this isn’t going to work.’ I’ll be excited to see how people react to the actual news.”
McAfee’s potential exit from his $120 million FanDuel contract was first reported in March. He is currently in the second of four years of his contract. McAfee had removed the FanDuel seal from the right corner of his show and was conspicuously absent from the gambling platform’s Super Bowl ads, but in a previous correspondence with The Post for that story, McAfee denied that was the source of his dissatisfaction.
McAfee has spoken about reducing the behind-the-scenes work that comes with running your own company and show. He has met with all of the market’s major players, including Amazon, and he is known to be somewhat unpredictable.
McAfee, who recently became a father, has been on hiatus from his full-time WWE SmackDown commentary role since being hired for College GameDay last September, but he’s made surprise appearances at the 2023 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 39, where he defeated The Miz in an impromptu match on Night 1. McAfee addressed his WWE future in March, as previously reported.
A weatherman and a truck driver’s kid chatted about life today.#UpToSomethingSZN pic.twitter.com/NPUCkln5N7
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 20, 2023
