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Pat McAfee is officially in full-time business with the World Wide Leader.
McAfee, 36, and his “Pat McAfee Show” operation are joining ESPN, the former Indianapolis Colts punter turned media superstar announced Tuesday. His show will air at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+ and on the network’s YouTube page starting this fall.
Last month, McAfee tweeted a picture of himself and Disney CEO Bob Iger, teasing the move. McAfee was adamant he and his team would be retaining creative control of the show, even as they realize they will have to slightly ramp down the antics.
“We ain’t changing,” McAfee said in a video posted on social media, repeating a refrain from when rumors between an agreement were swirling.
McAfee had already worked with ESPN on multiple fronts. He is a commentator on the iconic Saturday college football pregame show, “College GameDay.” He and his crew have also done alternate broadcasts for college football games through Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions.
“Pat is a proven talent. He and his team have built ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ into one of the most engaging programs in sports and all of media,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “It’s a destination for athlete interviews and breaking news, and the centerpiece of a growing community of sports fans. We’re honored to bring Pat and the show to ESPN through a multifaceted, multiplatform approach.”
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By joining ESPN, McAfee is walking away from his four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel, the sponsor of his YouTube show, that began last year.
McAfee and his wife, Samantha, welcomed their first child last week.
An All-Pro punter in 2014 and twice selected to the Pro Bowl, McAfee walked away from football at the age of 29 in 2016 and immediately started working at Barstool Sports. His show started as a two-hour daily radio program on SiriusXM and continued when McAfee ― who is still based in Indianapolis ― left the company in September 2018.
From there, McAfee’s popularity has skyrocketed. Flanked by former Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk and various other former players ― including Darius Butler, Pacman Jones, A.Q. Shipley and his former coach with the Colts, Chuck Pagano ― McAfee used his unique style of honesty, showmanship and tank-tops to attract 2.2 million subscribers on YouTube and become the dominant viewing option for sports in the early afternoon (12-3 p.m. ET) window.
“A few years back, none of these networks would even give me a meeting,” McAfee said. “Now we’re the tip of the spear of what sports media needs to be.”
The show hit its crescendo thanks to Aaron Rodgers, a longtime friend of Hawk’s who began making weekly Tuesday appearances on the show. Rodgers used the show as his forum to respond against backlash for misleading the public about his COVID-19 vaccination and again this offseason to tease his retirement (once again) and reveal his plans to join the New York Jets.
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
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