Pat McAfee rapidly became one of the most popular personalities in sports media, but the former NFL punter just vaguely questioned his future in the industry.
Wednesday night, while taking a break from his mounting work schedule that includes a daily podcast and prominent roles with the WWE and ESPN’s College GameDay, McAfee pondered his future with all three entities in a note shared on his social media accounts.
Man… brain’s been COOKIN
Excited to get back but I love this annual think sesh at the beach with my bride..
The future of #PMSLive has been a lot of fun to think about..
Going thru all of the numbers.. facts are facts.. We’ve really been quite a fucking disruptor in this… https://t.co/pNXe2csCVE pic.twitter.com/GoFUtwTLRc
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 22, 2023
“We’ve really been quite a f*cking disruptor in this whole daily Sports Media world,” McAfee wrote. “I’m very proud of it. We don’t have producers giving us takes or researchers telling us what to talk about. We don’t have any investors. We don’t have a ‘lead in audience’ or ‘people leaving their TVs on overnight.’ We, alongside our incredible fanbase, built this thing both literally and figuratively.
“What’s next though? A LOT of fun to think about,” McAfee added. “Show will always be free but we need to keep evolving.”
McAfee proceeded to question his future with WWE, citing the fact that they’re “allegedly gonna be sold.” While Vince McMahon is reportedly seeking to sell WWE for $9 billion, a transaction doesn’t appear to be imminent at that asking price. McAfee agreed to a multiyear extension with WWE last summer.
McAfee also questioned his future on College GameDay, noting he doesn’t currently have a long-term deal in place with ESPN. The podcast host and former NFL punter added that he did enjoy being part of the show during the last college football season.
Finally, he wondered about The Pat McAfee Show’s partnership with FanDuel, writing, “We and the new group of FD execs don’t necessarily have the same philosophical views on stuff, nothing but love for them, they are doing their thing but, certainly a different way of operating these days.”
McAfee’s podcast is currently in the middle of a four-year $120 million contract with FanDuel that he signed in Dec. 2021. The deal was reported to have an opt-out after three years, so McAfee can’t leave that $30 million a year partnership just yet, but it sounds like there might be some issues beyond the massive paycheck. And if something does happen to McAfee’s podcast or his deal with FanDuel, it could leave Aaron Rodgers desperately searching for his next media platform.
Despite the $120 million contract, McAfee is being threatened with bankruptcy by Brett Favre’s lawyer. McAfee is currently being sued for defamation by Favre. Favre, meanwhile, has been named in a civil lawsuit as the state of Mississippi seeks to recover more than $20 million of misspent welfare funds.
“So many things from a business point of view for a tank top wearing dumbass to ponder,” McAfee wrote while continuing to take full advantage of Elon Musk’s decision to increase Twitter’s character limit to 4,000. “But I’m incredibly proud to be in the position that we’re in.”
