Pat McAfee Most Likely To Join ESPN As He Is Prepared To Leave $120 Million FanDuel Contract
According to a Tuesday morning report from Andrew Marchand of The New York Post, ESPN is apparently the front-runner to air the program as presenter Pat McAfee considers terminating his existing deal with FanDuel.
Pat McAfee Most Likely To Join ESPN As He Is Prepared To Leave $120 Million FanDuel Contract
McAfee, 36, presently participates as a pundit on ESPN’s College GameDay. He began playing the part in ’22 after contributing to the show in ’19 and ’20. FanDuel, though, has a deal with him for his three-hour main YouTube show. According to reports, the relationship, which was revealed in December ’21, brings McAfee $30 million annually.
The $120 million contract between FanDuel and “The Pat McAfee Show,” a YouTube show, is presently in effect. However, the former punter who is now a College GameDay commentator for ESPN may be considering breaking that agreement.
BREAKING: ESPN has emerged as the leading candidate to be Pat McAfee's new home as he moves closer to exiting his $120 million FanDuel deal, per @AndrewMarchand of the NY Post.
WOW! pic.twitter.com/QvXKiD1X9u
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 9, 2023
Though neither he nor the broadcast network have responded to the rumors, the former Colts punter may be mulling a transfer to ESPN.
Update: Pat McAfee is "contemplating" leaving his $120M FanDuel deal and ESPN is the leading candidate to be his new home, per @AndrewMarchand
"The exact amount of money McAfee will earn in a deal is not known, though it is expected to be in the eight-figures-per-year range." pic.twitter.com/6tKJ2ihUmK
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 9, 2023
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, the presenter could agree to accept a pay cut from his current $30 million yearly salary. When Pat McAfee tweeted that he had a meeting with CEO Bob Iger, rumors of a potential deal with ESPN and its parent company Disney began to circulate.
𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: ESPN has emerged as the leading candidate to be Pat McAfee's new home once he exits his $120M deal with FanDuel, per @AndrewMarchand
Pat McAfee’s show has quickly become one of the best sports programs and it only makes sense that he goes to a network such as… pic.twitter.com/dIKdvsPgQI
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) May 9, 2023
After a report indicating he was considering doing so published in the Post in March, McAfee openly addressed the possibility of canceling the agreement on his show.
NEWS: ESPN has emerged as the leading candidate to be Pat McAfee's new home as he moves closer to exiting his $120 million FanDuel deal, The Post has learned.https://t.co/630YHMLlI0
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 9, 2023
“I got a lot going on in my life. I got a baby girl on the way. This past season there was so much stuff off the show that had to be dealt with and handled,” he said.
In the last year or so, Pat McAfee has:
▪️ Signed a $120M deal with FanDuel
▪️ Donated millions of that deal to charity
▪️ Signed a multi-year extension with WWE
▪️ Joined College GameDay
▪️ Hosted his own ESPN telecastKay Adams tells us that McAfee has worked his a** off. pic.twitter.com/vZ4gRLEqIN
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 28, 2022
Referencing the recent birth of his daughter, he continued, “I always said that if I wanted to have a child, I would want to have generational wealth, because I wouldn’t want my child to have any of the stresses or anything that potentially brings into your life.”
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