ESPN Is Officially Doubling Down On Its Pat McAfee Investment

ESPN's love for Pat McAfee isn't going away.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports is very much a fan of the former NFL punter turned sports media mogul. McAfee, who shockingly retired from the NFL to pursue a career in sports media, brought his daily show to ESPN back in 2023. The Pat McAfee Show has aired daily on ESPN beginning at 12 p.m. E.T.

"Pat is a proven talent," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the statement when McAfee arrived. "He and his team have built 'The Pat McAfee Show' into one of the most engaging programs in sports and all of media. 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."

McAfee has been a big part of "College GameDay," too.

McAfee's time at ESPN has been met with mixed messages by some. There are some fans who don't love his presence on "College GameDay." There are others who have taken issue with some of his interviews, like Aaron Rodgers.

But ESPN is clearly a big fan.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports is already doubling down on its love for McAfee. ESPN is currently in extension talks.

ESPN will double down on McAfee investment

ESPN will be doubling down on its investment in McAfee.

Front Office Sports broke the big news.

"Pat McAfee and ESPN are engaged in long-term contract extension talks, sources told Front Office Sports. McAfee's current five-year deal with ESPN is not up until 2028 and finalization of a new contract wasn't imminent, the sources said. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment," Ryan Glasspiegel reported.

The fact that ESPN is already negotiating an extension, while McAfee's deal isn't up until 2028, signals how much the network values him.

"We were up 34% year-over-year in the 18-to-24 demo," ESPN's president of Burke Magnus told FOS last year. "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. He's the guy like Chris Berman was for me."

ESPN clearly doesn't want him to go away.

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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 8:00 AM.