Pat McAfee Reported ESPN's Contract Details Released, Will Make Him A Very Wealthy Man
Pat McAfee's ESPN deal reportedly is for a staggering amount of cash.
The sports network boldly inked a deal to bring in McAfee's daily show in what is best described as a hail Mary attempt to gain viewers.
While ESPN routinely does very stupid things, signing Pat Mcafee is one of the smartest things the network has done in recent memory.
It's a sign the once highly-respected sports network recognizes something drastic needs to happen in order to save the company.
Pat McAfee's ESPN contract reportedly is worth a ton of cash. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Pat McAfee is getting paid.
It was initially rumored McAfee was going to earn $10 million annually. The new number is significantly higher.
McAfee's ESPN deal is worth $85 million over five years, according to the New York Post. That means McAfee's deal averages $17 million annually. McAfee's original deal with FanDuel was for $120 million over four years, but whispers of issues apparently didn't make it nearly as enticing.
As part of his deal, McAfee's show will air on ESPN outlets and he'll appear on College GameDay. The former Colts punter also retains creative control of his show.
So, not only did he get paid major money, but he didn't even have to give up control of the show that made him a household name.
Pat McAfee has joined ESPN with a massive deal. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
McAfee did address the report Wednesday and didn't confirm or deny any of the numbers. However, he did seem to imply he might be making even more.
McAfee is becoming very rich.
The $17 million annual salary - if accurate - will make him one of the wealthiest people in all of sports media - which was already the case.
He's in the same general ballpark as Tony Romo, Troy Aikman, Kirk Herbstreit and a few other people.
There's also an argument to be made McAfee could be worth even more. His daily show might be the biggest in all of sports, and his audience is incredibly young compared to traditional TV viewers. It dominates on Twitter and social media.
If this plan works, it could save ESPN. For $17 million a year, ESPN is getting a bargain.
Can Pat McAfee save ESPN? (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
It's always great to see someone get their money, especially when they're a great guy by all accounts. Enjoy the cash, Pat!