It has only been about three years since Pat McAfee signed a deal with ESPN, but he’s already negotiating a new contract with the network that’s rumored to be worth $60 million per year.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that ESPN and McAfee’s team are currently “discussing” a contract extension. The revised deal would pay him “more than $60 million per year.” They are “between $50 to 65 million per year.”
However, it’s not a done deal yet. Marchand notes that “if an agreement can be reached, it could be a sliding scale based on McAfee’s new responsibilities.” That means he could be on people’s TV screens “even more” than ever. One possible growing role is his NFL coverage.
Not everyone was happy about the news. Nearly 100 fans responded to Marchand’s post on X, formerly Twitter, with some feeling like this would be overpaying him. One fan even claimed that “ESPN is obsessed with ruining [their] product” with moves like this.
“$60 million per year?” one fan asked with several question marks. “No TV personality is worth that.”
Another conceded that the former NFL punter and WWE commentator “can be entertaining,” but the $60 million per year contract is a sign of something more sinister.
“Everything in this country now just involves funneling large amounts of money to rich people and celebrities,” the fan elaborated. “You say it’s market value. Sure, because the market is controlled by the wealthy and ultimately manipulated to benefit them.”
However, some were happy. One fan said, “He is literally the only thing worth watching on ESPN. Finally[,] they make a good decision.”
Pat McAfee’s current contract with ESPN
According to Marchand, McAfee’s current deal, which still has two years remaining, is paying him around $30 million annually. His current deal pays him for his responsibilities, which include hosting his daily live show, being a panelist for College GameDay, and his other appearances on various shows.
His new deal would be “similar in structure,” per The Athletic. Marchand notes that “ESPN has viewed the arrangement as a production contract and a separate ‘talent’ agreement.” This is different from the network’s usual approach.
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