Looks like Pat McAfee can afford to invest in some new tank tops. The media personality's new broadcast deal at ESPN is reportedly for 5 years and around $85 million, according to the New York Post.
McAfee responded to the Post via Twitter direct messages when asked about the terms of the deal, saying ““Interesting number. I don’t talk about the business side of it all, the actual numbers and such.”
ESPN also declined to elaborate on the financials involved.
McAfee did however open up about why he decided to move his popular sports talk program, The Pat McAfee Show, from his self-produced YouTube platform over to ESPN.
“I will be paying my people and we will be producing the show fully,” McAfee explained over DM. “[ESPN] will be handling a lot more of the backend stuff, while also providing a platform that is incomparable linear wise with a network of talent that is deep and awesome. Their production assets, league rights capabilities, and access to everything in the sports world makes us incredibly pumped about the possibilities and can’t wait to get started this fall.”
The Pat McAfee Show has been a popular destination for pro athlete interviews — with McAfee's casual on-air style and softball questions, athletes have the comfort of knowing they're dealing with one of their own (McAfee was an NFL punter and kickoff specialist). Aaron Rodgers makes a regular weekly appearance on the show, including to address his controversial, misleading statements about being “inoculated” against Covid-19 during the pandemic and to discuss his desire to be traded to the Jets when he was still with the Packers.
It will be interesting to see whether athletes still feel comfortable opening up to Pat McAfee now that he's part of the leading source for sports news. ESPN is banking a lot of money on the bet that they will.
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