Pat McAfee is reportedly in discussions with ESPN over a contract extension that would see the controversial host earn more than $60million a year.
McAfee has quickly established himself as a key player at ESPN after bringing his daily three-hour talk show to the network back in 2023. He is also a regular panelist on ‘College GameDay’ and appears on other ESPN shows, with his current deal said to be worth nearly $30m every year.
Since joining ESPN, McAfee has gone to war with high-profile executives and broken the news that Travis Kelce would play on after Super Bowl LIX.
The regular guests on his show include Aaron Rodgers and, on Veterans Day last November, he held a controversial interview with President Trump.
According to The Athletic, the 39-year-old has two years left on his current deal but talks are already underway over a lucrative extension.
Should a deal be agreed, McAfee is set to earn more than $60m a year. The ex-Colts star could also be given more prominence on the network’s NFL coverage, reports claim.
Pat McAfee is in talks with ESPN over a contract extension worth more than $60m a year
The ex-NFL star hosts The Pat McAfee Show on Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl LX
It’s said McAfee earns around $17m a year for his show, with a separate contract covering his other work on the network. According to the Athletic, McAfee’s representatives initially asked for a deal to rival Stephen A. Smith’s record-breaking $100m extension with ESPN.
Smith and McAfee have risen to become the network’s biggest stars, with president of content Burke Magnus crediting the former punter for helping ESPN reach more young people.
‘We were up 34 percent year-over-year in the 18-to-24 demo,’ Magnus told Front Office Sports in 2025.
‘That just doesn’t happen in our business without something remarkable. To me, that’s the appeal of Pat. I have kids who are 23 and 25. He’s the guy. He’s the voice of their generation and their fandom. He represents them.’
The news of a possible contract extension comes after a period of turbulence in McAfee’s private life.
He recently revealed that his son Midas arrived four weeks early before spending around 36 hours in intensive care following the emergency C-section birth.
‘Due to Samantha having a high risk pregnancy and severe preeclampsia, the decision was made to have an emergency C-Section on Friday night. Baby boy officially entered the world on May 22nd at 10:42PM as a 6lb 6oz screaming young legend… 10 Toes, 10 Fingers, full head of hair,’ McAfee wrote in a statement.
Legendary NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a regular guest on McAfee’s talk show
He spent eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and even played in Super Bowl XLIV
‘Literally in his first moments of life, Midas was working… He was able to get his O2 Levels high enough to be able to come hang with us in our room and because of that we got to do all of the immediate magical newborn moments.. Skin to skin, 10,000 kisses, tons of love, all of that.
‘Inevitably, since he came into the world at 36 Weeks (40 is full term), he had to develop his lungs a little bit more, get some fluid out of him, and adjust a bit to life outside of Sam’s stomach.
‘So, he was sent to the NICU to help the transition from the womb to the world.
‘We had a sneaky suspicion that he was a dawg and a fighter but, it is a bit scary to see your baby hooked up to so many ‘very serious’ things.. He ended up staying roughly 36 hours in the NICU before being released back to our room… a FULL CELEBRATION occurred. We’ve been floating around this room.. sleeping and burping and feeding and changing diapers ever since.’
