Pat McAfee has hinted for a while now that while he signed a four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel last year, he’s exploring his options when it comes to finding a long-term home for The Pat McAfee Show.
McAfee fueled speculation last month when he posted a photo of himself and Disney CEO Bob Iger on social media, which pointed to him potentially angling to join ESPN in a larger role than his College GameDay appearances.
Now, that meeting appears to have hinted at what the speculation entailed, as the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported on Tuesday that ESPN has emerged as the favorite to land McAfee and his extremely successful show.
Marchand said just a few weeks ago that he didn’t think McAfee to ESPN was “definitely happening,” but rather a possibility.
It certainly looks a lot more possible now.
The optics of the situation certainly aren’t great considering the company’s recent layoffs. And Marchad is reporting that McAfee is expected to be in the eight-figures-per-year range, which will likely be less than the FanDuel deal that he looks increasingly likely to walk away from.
While nothing is official yet, McAfee will be on the network next year regardless. As he will continue his role with College GameDay and could do more simulcasts during the college football season.
“I am definitely on College GameDay for one more year. Definitely. That is a definite situation. After that, the conversation’s pending,” McAfee said in March.
It remains to be seen when this will materialize, but all the signs are pointing to ESPN for McAfee.
[NY Post]
