Pat McAfee Walking Away From His $120M FanDuel Contract to Join ESPN
Pat McAfee is walking away from his FanDuel contract, worth $120 million, and walking into an ESPN contract that exceeds "eight figures" annually, the exact amount is not yet disclosed. McAfee was only in the second year of his four year contract with FanDuel.
McAfee on Move
The longtime Indianapolis Colts’ punter wasted little time in finding a new career after retiring. Transitioning into a video podcaster, his eponymous show has had tremendous success since it launched in 2019.
It’s now available on YouTube, but that’s going to change this fall after McAfee signed a multiyear contract with ESPN. The Pat McAfee Show will be a part of weekday programming with the outlet, set to begin just before the start of the 2023 season.
One of the top segments of this show is a weekly interview with Aaron Rodgers, and McAfee has been able to deliver some huge breaking news stories at times via the former Green Bay Packer/now New York Jet. McAfee has also spent time on College GameDay as an analyst, and will continue that role as well.
McAfee has promised to remove some of his colorful language typically used on the show, but the content is expected to be the same.
"We have decided that we won't say f*** nearly as much, but every other word is good to go," he said.
The network said it will work with McAfee to try to bring in other football guests during the season.
McAfee's workload is said to be too much currently, according to a newsletter from Joe Pompliano. The ESPN deal will allow him to spend more time with his family.
He will likely be making a lot less than $30 million a year at ESPN. Stephen A. Smith is the highest-paid employee on the network.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
