Three years ago, Pat McAfee negotiated his ESPN deal on his own. But a lot has changed since then, as the former Indianapolis Colts punter has grown into one of the biggest names in broadcasting. Fast forward to now, and McAfee is being represented by TKO/WME’s Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro, with his latest deal expected to make him the highest-paid sports analyst in ESPN history.

Per The Athletic‘s Andrew Marchand, ESPN and McAfee’s representatives are reportedly discussing a new contract paying between $60 to $65 million per year. While nothing is official yet, the reports have already pushed radio host and television analyst Clay Travis to call McAfee the new face of the network.

“Good for him! ESPN has decided he’s the new face of the network. I watched him call game 3 last night because my ESPN picture was better than my ABC picture, he and his crew were highly entertaining,” Travis wrote on X, after Marchand’s report surfaced on Tuesday.

Marchand’s reports came a week after Front Office Sports first reported that the host is eying a new contract extension with ESPN. Per The Athletic‘s reporter, McAfee’s new deal would also expand his role at ESPN, especially for the NFL coverage. For now, the 39-year-old has two years left on his current deal, which pays him around $30 million per year.

Per reports, McAfee makes $17 million a year via The Pat McAfee Show, while his other contacts for College Gameday, College Football Championship, and Game 3 of the NBA Finals cover the rest.

That said, McAfee’s new deal with the network will be similar to his current one. For a broader context, the network licenses The Pat McAfee Show under a production agreement rather than a traditional talent contract. That means McAfee owns the program and pays his staff, while also covering the production costs.

The show runs for two hours on ESPN from 2 p.m. ET, while the third hour is on YouTube. While McAfee’s representatives initially negotiated a $100 million per year deal, the current reports suggest that a deal paying $60 to $65 million annually will be finalized.

At the same time, if that deal materializes, McAfee would easily surpass the likes of Stephen A. Smith, Troy Aikman, and Kirk Herbstreit. Smith’s latest five-year, $100+ million contract runs through 2030 and pays him over $20 million per year.

Aikman, meanwhile, left FOX to sign with ESPN back in 2022 and is currently under contract on a five-year deal worth over $18 million per year. If McAfee’s $60-65M deal goes through, he will reportedly start earning a paycheck that’s approximately three to four times higher than Aikman’s.

While the reports suggest Pat McAfee will become the highest-paid broadcaster at ESPN, the official confirmation has yet to arrive. One thing that remains constant, though, is that the former NFL star is surely looking forward to becoming the face of ESPN.