Pat McAfee Teams Up With Peyton Manning’s Company For ESPN College Football Broadcasts

Topline

Retired NFL punter and surprise star podcaster Pat McAfee announced Thursday he will team up with Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning to deliver alternative college football broadcasts for ESPN2, as the two former Indianapolis Colts expand their burgeoning sports media footprints.

Key Facts

McAfee will call six games on ESPN2, he said on the Pat McAfee Show while Manning appeared as his guest.

Manning’s Omaha Productions company will produce the program, which will simulcast alongside ESPN’s primary broadcast of the games.McAfee said the program will feature a similar format to Omaha Productions’ popular ESPN simulcasts featuring Manning and his younger brother, retired quarterback Eli Manning, that debuted alongside ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcasts last year to ratings success.

ESPN confirmed to Forbes Mcafee will appear on six broadcasts but declined to comment on financial details of the deal, noting it’s a part of the network’s existing partnership with Omaha Productions to deliver simulcasts of several sports.

Key Background

McAfee played eight seasons in the NFL before abruptly retiring in 2017 to join Barstool Sports. Known for his brash style, McAfee has become a surprise star, and his show has nearly two million subscribers on YouTube and is the seventh-most popular sports podcast on Apple. Star Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a frequent guest on the podcast, and famously touted several conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccines on the show last year. McAfee also works as a color commentator for World Wrestling Entertainment.

Big Number

$30 million per year. That’s how much FanDuel pays to sponsor the Pat McAfee Show, FanDuel CFO Phil Mains confirmed to Forbes in December. The deal runs for three years with a fourth-year option, worth a total of up to $120 million.

What To Watch For

What games McAfee will call, though he did promise in the announcement they would be “six big ass college football games.”

Further Reading

‘Pat McAfee Show’ Inks Deal With FanDuel Worth Up To $120M (Forbes)