As Pat McAfee passes the halfway point of his initial five-year contract with ESPN, negotiations are reportedly underway between the two sides on an extension.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel at Front Office Sports, McAfee is in talks to re-up with the Worldwide Leader on a “long-term” contract extension. His current deal, which sees ESPN license his hit digital video show from noon-2 p.m. ET each day and is reportedly worth $85 million, expires in 2028.
The news comes on the heels of McAfee’s announcement on Monday that he is partnering with DraftKings, also the official sportsbook partner of the Worldwide Leader.
Over the past several months, McAfee has hosted multiple specials for ESPN that signal growing trust from Bristol.
In early March, McAfee anchored NFL free agency coverage for the network, with fellow talent Adam Schefter, Peter Schrager and Dan Orlovsky joining him at the “Thunderdome” outside Indianapolis. In April, McAfee brought back his on-site NFL Draft live show, also featuring Schrager and Orlovsky. And just last week, McAfee helped ESPN fill an NBA conference finals window with a “State of Sports” primetime broadcast with interviews of league commissioners and star athletes.
Mike Foss, a prominent liaison to McAfee within Bristol, was recently promoted to EVP and executive editor, overseeing news and creative content.
Separately from the licensing deal for The Pat McAfee Show, the former Indianapolis Colts punter is also a panelist on College GameDay, which has seen ratings surge as McAfee has left his imprint on the show (despite what critics may want).
At the same time, ESPN is bound to face strong competition for McAfee’s services if it lets him get close to the open market. Netflix continues to aggressively push into talk programming in and around sports, inking a deal last month to air iHeartMedia’s The Breakfast Club live each morning. Previously, FanDuel reportedly paid McAfee eight figures annually to license and sponsor his show.
McAfee also continually flirts with WWE, where he made a return for WrestleMania earlier this spring as a sidekick to superstar Randy Orton. The CEO of WWE’s parent company, Ari Emanuel, also represents McAfee in Hollywood, as he prepares to debut in a role in director Peter Berg’s upcoming World War II movie.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.