PAT MCAFEE IN TALKS WITH ESPN OVER $60M-A-YEAR CONTRACT

Pat McAfee is in negotiations with ESPN over a new contract reported to be worth $60 million per year. The discussions come as ESPN announced that The Pat McAfee Show recorded its best-ever May, generating 412,000 views across traditional television, YouTube, and streaming platforms. That figure represents a 25 per cent increase on May 2025. McAfee brought his daily three-hour talk show to ESPN in 2023 and also appears regularly on College GameDay.

ESPN attributed the programme's strong May performance to a combination of NFL offseason headlines, the NBA and NHL play-offs, and MLB action. The NFL regular season had concluded in early February, yet McAfee's show still reached its highest-ever May audience without any live football or Super Bowl coverage to draw on. Content driving the numbers included the NFL schedule release, the 2026 NFL Draft, Aaron Rodgers-related stories, free-agent news, and team updates. ESPN reported that all of its studio shows combined drew 27 per cent more viewers in May 2026 than in the same month the previous year.

The network also recorded an 11 per cent rise in viewership among adults aged 18 to 49 across its studio output. Other ESPN programmes including Get Up, First Take, NBA Today, SportsCenter, Pardon the Interruption, and NFL Live all posted their best May figures in 2026. The Pat McAfee Show's multi-platform availability across ESPN, ESPN+, YouTube, and social media has contributed to its expanded reach. Contract negotiations between McAfee and ESPN are ongoing.