Getty Image / Mike Lawrie
Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee has seen unprecedented success in media since leaving the NFL.
He went from a ‘must follow’ on Twitter to one of Barstool Sports‘ brightest on-camera figures to inking a deal with FanDuel worth over $120 million in the span of a few short years. And in between that, he found time to launch his WWE wrestling career and make regular appearances on ESPN, with whom he has a multi-year partnership.
Pat McAfee’s daily show has been must-see TV at times, primarily, during the times when Aaron Rodgers has a lot going on in his own life. It is widely rumored that Aaron will update the world about the New York Jets on Pat’s Wednesday show.
Hours before Aaron Rodgers is set to appear on The Pat McAfee Show, industry insider Andrew Marchand of the New York Post is reporting that Pat might walk away from his $120 million deal with FanDuel early. Marchand reportedly shared a series of DM’s with Pat discussing the topic.
Marchand writes:
McAfee has had talks with other entities, including Amazon, according to sources. Another possibility could be Google/YouTube, which just did a big deal for NFL Sunday Ticket.
Apple and McAfee don’t feel like a fit, but probably can’t be entirely ruled out. Could someone, like Fanatics, eventually emerge as a wild card? There could be more traditional players, too. In recent weeks, he eliminated the FanDuel emblem from his show.
When asked about the removal of the logo, a spokesperson from FanDuel told Marchand “we really value our relationship with Pat and we are always evaluating how to work to engage his audience.”
Marchand also shared this exchange in DMs with Pat McAfee which might hint at why he’s seeking new opportunities.
Pat told him “[There are] a lot of moving pieces right now. Not exactly sure where it all ends up. No beef, all love with FD (and you.) Just trying to make my show and life easier. I’ll have a lot more info and direction late next week probably.”
McAfee earned a total of $15,040,044 in 8 seasons as a punter with the Indianapolis Colts. His 4-year FanDuel deal is reportedly worth over $120 million, so he’s doubling his NFL earnings every year.
Seeing Pat as a regular fixture on ESPN/ABC seems logical. There are lot of people out there who prefer Pat McAfee’s energy with AJ Hawk over the ‘constantly screaming in your face’ energy of some other ESPN daytime TV hosts.
Meanwhile, McAfee started Wednesday by tweeting “Let’s have an Aaron Rodgers Wednesday.”