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.
The deal is not yet completed, and if an agreement can be reached, it could be a sliding scale based on McAfee’s 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 negotiating a new salary between $60 million and $65 million per year, according to the sources.
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 “College GameDay” panelist role and his various appearances on other programs, according to the sources.
The makeup of the new deal would be similar in structure. ESPN has viewed the arrangement as a production contract and a separate “talent” agreement, differentiating it from the deals with most of its on-air personalities.
McAfee hosts his daily three-hour show with his crew, “The Pat McAfee Show.” The first two hours are on ESPN, while all three are on YouTube. He is also a main personality on ESPN’s iconic football show, “College GameDay.” 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.
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’s contributors and sets. He has a separate contract for “GameDay” and for other contributions. Additionally, McAfee also does alt-casts for events like the College Football Championship and Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The exact amount of what he makes for “GameDay” 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 “GameDay” kicking contest each week, his take-home pay is lower than $30 million.
Three years ago, McAfee negotiated his original ESPN deal himself — even posting a picture on social media with then-Disney CEO Bob Iger — but now has some of the heaviest hitters in the game representing him with TKO/Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro.
Negotiations always start with higher expectations to gain leverage; Emanuel and Shapiro’s initial proposal to ESPN was for $100 million per year, according to sources briefed on the negotiations.
ESPN declined to comment. News of McAfee’s potential extension negotiations was first reported by Front Office Sports.
McAfee has joined Stephen A. Smith as the face of ESPN. In early 2025, Smith signed a new five-year, $100 million-plus contract that allows him to do more than debate sports, including talk about politics. Smith has a separate three-year, $36 million contract with SiriusXM.
In all, Smith’s 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’s exact deal with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions is unknown, but it also resides in this neighborhood.
If McAfee were to stay put at ESPN, it would be the first time during his mercurial rise that he hasn’t had a short stay on a platform.
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.
McAfee and DraftKings recently announced a partnership. DraftKings is the official sportsbook partner of ESPN.
Three years ago, Iger, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Burke Magnus, the network’s president of content, made a big bet on McAfee, and he may have surpassed Smith as the face of the network. ESPN’s internal research has them among the network’s most popular on-air personalities.
In McAfee’s current deal, ESPN is said to make money on McAfee’s daily program, according to sources briefed on the network’s finances. ESPN rolls up all of McAfee’s numbers, including those from his YouTube channel. His linear TV ratings are much lower than Smith’s “First Take” 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.
With ESPN, however, McAfee has also been involved in several controversies. Aaron Rodgers, who was a regular guest on McAfee’s show, made false accusations about Jimmy Kimmel being in the Epstein Files during an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show.” In July 2025, McAfee apologized for amplifying unfounded rumors involving an 18-year-old college student, who was falsely accused of sleeping with her boyfriend’s father. He has also had public spats with ESPN personnel.
Nearly a year ago, NFL insider Adam Schefter was essentially banned from the program after McAfee felt Schefter did not appear once when asked. After The Athletic reported on it, Schefter returned to the program after not being on for three months. He has been a regular again ever since.
ESPN executives want the network to appeal to younger fans and believe, with research to back it up, McAfee connects. ESPN, which is 47 years old, hopes to have McAfee leading the way into the company’s 50s.
