Upon Turning a Back on $120 Million, Pat McAfee’s Eight Figure Stunt With ESPN Signals Its First Big Victim After Layoffs

Former NFL punter Pat McAfee has been having a great year so far. He recently became a father, after he and his wife welcome their first child together. The lawsuit from Brett Favre is also nullified. And adding to the list of highlights, McAfee recently signed a lucrative eight-figure deal with ESPN to bring the Pat McAfee show to ESPN, ESPN+, and also their YouTube channel. However, this means that someone is going to sacrifice the slot for the new show. 

This new deal comes into play after McAfee decided to walk away from his $120 million four-year deal with FanDuel. But this move by ESPN comes with backlashes, as the employees have voiced their discontentment with the layoffs that followed. And now, new reports reveal the first big victim to lose his spot with the arrival of the ex-NFL player.

Pat McAfee likely to take Max Kellerman’s slot

A recent report by Front Office Sports revealed the first big victim of the eight-figure McAfee hire to the channel. While the network will be excited about bringing in the former punter and his fan following to the network, it will also mean that Max Kellerman’s ‘This Just In’ show might be canceled by the network.

According to the report, ESPN will most likely cancel the ‘This Just In’ show, a weekday afternoon program hosted by Max Kellerman, to create a slot for the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ in their network. Kellerman’s show currently airs from 2 pm to 3 pm. Prior to this, he was a part of the ‘First Take ‘ morning show. And McAfee recently stated that his show on the channel will come after ‘Get Up’ by Mike Greenberg which airs from 8 am to 10 am and ‘First Take’ by Stephen A. Smith which airs from 10 am to noon. So this puts Kellmerman’s show in the host seat to be replaced by McAfee upon his arrival.

Read more: Pat McAfee Show Co-Host Reveals Crazy Turnaround That Led To Shocking Exit From Aaron Rodgers’ Packers

While fans will be excited about his new venture, ESPN employees are not happy with the consequences of their channel signing the eight-figure deal with McAfee.

ESPN employees suffer the aftermath of McAfee’s deal 

With the arrival of McAfee, on the one hand, the channel is also preparing to engage in the second round of layoffs that are taking place. This is in accordance with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s wish to reduce 7,000 jobs in the company worldwide and $5.5 billion in costs.

The first layoff took place on April 24, with names like John Dahl, Executive Producer of the documentary ‘The Last Dance’ being fired. The move also saw some fans criticizing the lucrative amount of money offered to McAfee to air his show on ESPN. This also brings to light the issue of the pay gap between on-air stars and regular employees in the company.

Watch this story: “We now, move on”: Amidst new baby born and $120 million dangling in the air, Pat McAfee clears the air on Brett Favre nuisance

What are your thoughts on ESPN’s decision with the McAfee deal? Let us know in the comments below.