Pat McAfee isn’t buying the latest chatter tying him to ESPN’s top NFL booth.
On Tuesday, McAfee shut down a report that floated him as a possible future voice on “Monday Night Football,” responding directly on X after Front Office Sports promoted a Michael McCarthy column on the idea.
“This isn’t real. There's been zero conversation about this,” he wrote.
McCarthy’s column speculated that McAfee’s upcoming Super Bowl alternate broadcast could function as a tryout for ESPN’s main “MNF” team, which currently includes Joe Buck, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge. The piece also said several sources outside ESPN had kicked around the possibility.
The discussion was built around uncertainty involving Troy Aikman, whose five-year contract runs out after this season. McCarthy noted Aikman makes $18 million per year and also pointed to ESPN recently giving Buck a six-year extension worth $108 million.
If a new agreement can’t be reached, McCarthy wrote, ESPN could look at Fox’s Greg Olsen, the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce or the Rams’ Sean McVay. He added that the word around the industry is that Aikman and ESPN will probably get a deal done.
McCarthy also highlighted McAfee’s rising value as a broadcaster. McAfee joined ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” this year, and his weekday show has helped draw younger viewers to the network.
The speculation traces back to ESPN’s plan to make McAfee’s Field Pass alt-cast part of its first Super Bowl telecast, scheduled for Feb. 14. That broadcast will air on ESPNU from the sidelines at SoFi Stadium, with Dan Orlovsky joining McAfee and the rest of the crew.
McAfee and his team are set to work Field Pass alt-casts for seven games this season, beginning with Commanders-49ers on Sunday and finishing at the Super Bowl.
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