Pat McAfee Takes a Clear Dig at ESPN While Breaking Silence on Historic WWE Deal

Deals like this don’t just fall out of the sky. They simmer, get whispered and spark rumors. And then linger in boardrooms and backchannels until one day the paperwork finally surfaces and the headlines scream ‘historic.’ Back in July, NFL owners were already told to keep their calendars open for a possible Disney vote. For four years, the league has debated selling off media assets like NFL Network and NFL RedZone. But this time, Disney, through ESPN, kept showing up at the table. And while nothing was locked in at the time, the idea of the NFL sliding into ESPN’s ownership structure while ESPN scooped up more rights was clearly gaining steam.

Even Scott Hanson – the face of RedZone Sundays – had secured a long-term extension. It was a sign the NFL wasn’t planning to toss its most reliable product aside. Special league meetings aren’t rare; owners did it in 2024 to approve private equity entry. But the point was clear: big shifts were coming. The only question left was how many moving parts would fall under ESPN’s ever-expanding umbrella.

Enter Pat McAfee, who has never been the guy to play nice with corporate boardrooms. If there’s a spotlight and a chance to throw shade at the suits, he’s sprinting toward it. So when finally WWE locked in a monster rights deal with ESPN, McAfee couldn’t just nod and move on – he had to lace it with a shot at Bristol.

On X, McAfee congratulated WWE and ESPN, “Congrats to the @WWE and @espn on getting a historic PLE deal done. Great to see 2 powerhouses of sports and entertainment come together.” Then he went full McAfee. “I assume all the mid-level, powerless, b-m a-s suits at ESPN will attempt to muddy this somehow (out of context leaks/ignorant anonymous opinions/etc.) but, in the end.. this agreement will outlive the dinosaurs currently guarding desks in Bristol and this deal will be great for ESPN. Cheers to the future” Translation: enjoy the celebration, but don’t think the internal politics of ESPN won’t rear their head.

The deal he’s talking about is massive. ESPN, a Disney subsidiary, and WWE officially announced a landmark deal that makes ESPN platforms – including the soon-to-launch direct-to-consumer service – the exclusive U.S. home of all WWE Premium Live Events starting in 2026. WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, Money in the Bank – every cultural tentpole in wrestling now belongs to ESPN’s package, with select simulcasts on traditional TV. For fans, it’s a consolidation play: one service, all the shows, all year.

But here’s the kicker: even now, much of this sits under the label of a “non‑binding agreement.” As Mike Florio pointed out, that’s “weaker than a Jerry Jones handshake deal.” It means Washington still needs to sign off, and nothing’s guaranteed. The NFL could wind up with equity in ESPN instead of cash. It makes the deal sound more like a swap than a sale. That might protect ESPN from being outbid by tech giants. But it also means players don’t see an immediate dime – equity doesn’t count toward revenue sharing. In other words, the ink isn’t permanent yet.

ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro called WWE’s fanbase “immense, devoted and passionate,” and called the agreement a boost to ESPN’s streaming future. TKO’s Mark Shapiro said the partnership will be “transformational.” McAfee? He basically raised a glass and reminded the ESPN suits that their clock is ticking. But the WWE deal wasn’t the only media headline with ESPN stamped across it.

RedZone & the ESPN-NFL angle

Appearing on SportsCenter, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the broader ESPN-NFL partnership and whether fans could expect changes. He downplayed any shake-ups: “I’m most excited for our fans. We really truly believe this is going to be an unbelievable experiencef or our fans…This will be combined on larger platforms…I think this is just going to make the experience for our fans even better as we evolve this relationship.” Classic Goodell – polished optimism with plenty of emphasis on “fans.”

But the real hot-button topic was RedZone. Asked if the product would change under the new alignment, Goodell reassured viewers: “Well, that’ll actually stay the same. It’ll continue to be produced right here in this building. It will be the NFL Red Zone. I don’t think fans will see any difference to that.” Then came the twist: ESPN now owns the RedZone name. Meaning the same channel that makes Sundays chaos in the best way could spawn ‘College Football RedZone’ or even basketball versions. That’s innovation or saturation, depending on how you see it.

Florio also flagged what this really means: the NFL owning 10 per cent of ESPN raises new questions. Will ESPN still go hard at the league in its reporting, or will coverage start to look more like PR spin? And for players, who only share in direct revenue, equity deals mean they’re left waiting for value that may never hit their pockets. 

What about journalistic independence, now that the NFL owns a stake in ESPN? Florio didn’t mince words: “Don’t fool yourself. They didn’t do it for us. They did it for themselves.” Fans may still get their RedZone fix, but the bigger play is about ownership, leverage, and control. McAfee’s dig about dinosaurs in Bristol? Maybe it’s not just about ESPN suits. Maybe it’s about the whole ecosystem trying to hold onto power while the ground shifts underneath.