Randy Orton’s Ex-Partner In Talks For $60 Million After WWE Retirement
Randy Orton made an alliance with Pat McAfee on the Road to WrestleMania 42, which received major backlash from fans.
After the backlash, McAfee made a claim that he would retire from the wrestling world if Randy Orton lost to Cody Rhodes. At WrestleMania 42, Cody Rhodes beat Randy Orton to retain his Undisputed WWE Championship, and hence, McAfee was forced to retire.
Later on The Pat McAfee Show, he confirmed that he has parted ways with the wrestling world and is done with the business for good. Now that McAfee has retired from pro wrestling, he is slated to be more involved with ESPN.
Pat McAfee Set for Huge ESPN Payday After Stepping Away from WWE
According to a new report from The Athletic, Pat McAfee is negotiating a new contract with ESPN that would make him one of the highest-paid figures in the sports media industry.
The report noted that ESPN and McAfee’s team are currently discussing a contract extension, but a deal hasn’t been finalized yet. The proposed deal would pay McAfee between $60 million and $65 million per year, and the final amount would depend on how much additional work McAfee agrees to take on.
The report suggests that he may now be more involved with ESPN’s coverage, particularly the NFL. McAfee already hosts The Pat McAfee Show and appears on various ESPN programs. Under a new deal, he could receive a larger role in NFL broadcast analysis and studio programming.
“ESPN and representatives for Pat McAfee are discussing an extension to his contract that would pay him more than $60 million per year, sources briefed on the talks told The Athletic. The deal is not yet completed, and if an agreement can be reached, it could be a sliding scale based on McAfee’s new responsibilities.”
“McAfee, already omnipresent, could be on the air even more, with a bigger role in NFL coverage a possibility, according to the sources. The two sides are currently between $60 to 65 million per year, according to the sources, who were granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations.”