ESPN and representatives for Pat McAfee are discussing an extension to his contract that would pay him more than $60 million per year, sources briefed on the talks told The Athletic.<\/p>\n
The deal is not yet completed, and if an agreement can be reached, it could be a sliding scale based on McAfee\u2019s new responsibilities. McAfee, already omnipresent, could be on the air even more, with a bigger role in NFL coverage a possibility, according to the sources. The two sides are currently between $60 to 65 million per year, according to the sources, who were granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations.<\/p>\n
McAfee, 39, has two years remaining on his current contract, which approaches the $30 million mark per year between his production agreement for his daily show, his \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d panelist role and his various appearances on other programs, according to the sources.<\/p>\n
The makeup of the new deal would be similar in structure. ESPN has viewed the arrangement as a production contract and a separate \u201ctalent\u201d agreement, differentiating it from the deals with most of its on-air personalities.<\/p>\n
McAfee hosts his daily three-hour show with his crew, \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show.\u201d The first two hours are on ESPN, while all three are on YouTube. He is also a main personality<\/a> on ESPN\u2019s iconic football show, \u201cCollege GameDay.\u201d He and Nick Saban have emerged as stars of the program that is led by host Rece Davis and includes Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard.<\/p>\n For his daily show, McAfee still has two years remaining on a deal that pays him over $17 million per year. It is a licensing agreement, and McAfee has maintained ownership of the program. He is responsible for paying for all of the show\u2019s contributors and sets. He has a separate contract for \u201cGameDay\u201d and for other contributions. Additionally, McAfee also does alt-casts for events like the College Football Championship and Game 3 of the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n The exact amount of what he makes for \u201cGameDay\u201d and his other responsibilities is unknown, but in all, he currently approaches $30 million per year, according to sources briefed on the contracts. Since he doles out salaries to his regulars and contributors for his show, along with millions of dollars to students who win the \u201cGameDay\u201d kicking contest each week, his take-home pay is lower than $30 million.<\/p>\n Three years ago, McAfee negotiated his original ESPN deal himself \u2014 even posting a picture on social media with then-Disney CEO Bob Iger \u2014 but now has some of the heaviest hitters in the game representing him with TKO\/WME\u2019s Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro.<\/p>\n Negotiations always start with higher expectations to gain leverage; Emanuel and Shapiro\u2019s initial proposal to ESPN was for $100 million per year, according to sources briefed on the negotiations.<\/p>\n ESPN declined to comment. News of McAfee\u2019s potential extension negotiations was first reported by Front Office Sports.<\/p>\n McAfee has joined Stephen A. Smith as the face of ESPN. In early 2025, Smith signed a new five-year, $100 million-plus contract<\/a> that allows him to do more than debate sports, including talk about politics. Smith has a separate three-year, $36 million contract with SiriusXM.<\/p>\n In all, Smith\u2019s deals are in the mid-$30 million range with a chance to break $40 million per year, if he hits all his incentives. At Fox, Tom Brady has a 10-year, $375 million deal to call NFL games. ESPN\u2019s exact deal with Peyton Manning\u2019s Omaha Productions is unknown, but it also resides in this neighborhood.<\/p>\n If McAfee were to stay put at ESPN, it would be the first time during his mercurial rise that he hasn\u2019t had a short stay on a platform.<\/p>\n In 2017, he walked away from the final two seasons and a total of $6 million of his playing contract with the Indianapolis Colts to join Barstool Sports. After that, he has worked with WWE, DAZN, SiriusXM and Westwood One. Before joining ESPN, he was in the midst of a reported four-year, $120 million deal that FanDuel let him out of early.<\/p>\n McAfee and DraftKings recently announced a partnership. DraftKings is the official sportsbook partner of ESPN.<\/p>\n Three years ago, Iger, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Burke Magnus, the network\u2019s president of content, made a big bet on McAfee, and he may have surpassed Smith as the face of the network. ESPN\u2019s internal research has them among the network\u2019s most popular on-air personalities.<\/p>\n In McAfee\u2019s current deal, ESPN is said to make money on McAfee\u2019s daily program, according to sources briefed on the network\u2019s finances. ESPN rolls up all of McAfee\u2019s numbers, including those from his YouTube channel. His linear TV ratings are much lower than Smith\u2019s \u201cFirst Take\u201d ones. In May, ESPN touted a 25 percent viewership increase for McAfee year over year, saying he averaged 421,000 viewers when linear and digital viewing were combined.<\/p>\n With ESPN, however, McAfee has also been involved in several controversies. Aaron Rodgers, who was a regular guest on McAfee\u2019s show, made false accusations about Jimmy Kimmel being in the Epstein Files during an interview on \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show.\u201d In July 2025, McAfee apologized for amplifying unfounded rumors<\/a> involving an 18-year-old college student, who was falsely accused of sleeping with her boyfriend\u2019s father<\/a>. He has also had public spats with ESPN personnel.<\/p>\n