Pat McAfee is one of the most polarizing figures in sports media. Not every take of his bodes well, and throughout his media career and even before that, a lot of criticism has come his way. However, the former NFL player is ready to break the silence and respond through his music.

“For as long as I can remember my mere existence has made people hate my guts..” McAfee wrote on X. “I’ve been writing songs about it for 20yrs & it’s time to let them aht.. A LOT of headlines & narratives.. if I was to die, I’d like my kids to know exactly who their dad is.”

McAfee’s new album “Diary of a Polarizing Figure” is set to launch on August 14. This is expected to be a response to all the haters who have doubted McAfee and raised questions about the way he goes about running his show.

This announcement comes as McAfee finds himself amid criticism once again, not because of his potential $60 to $65 million extension, but because ESPN and NFL Network have laid off multiple employees while his job remains secure.

McAfee’s post came just hours after ESPN laid off several prominent figures. The list included Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ryan Clark, former NFL MVP Cam Newton, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, NFL Network analyst Charles Davis, radio host and NFL analyst Bart Scott, among others.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, even J.J. Watt took a jab at McAfee amid the wave of ESPN layoffs.

“Slow news day over there on the ESPN airwaves. I mean, besides the fact that you’re getting $100 million per year. They’re taking everybody off the network,” Watt said. “Did they keep anybody? Or is everybody fired to pay you? I’m trying to figure it out.”

McAfee signed his existing contract back in 2023. For now, the terms of his previous contract are unknown. Still, it’s reported that McAfee is making around $30 million per year from his show, along with multiple appearances on College Gameday and elsewhere. At the same time, it’s worth noting that McAfee compensates all contributors on his show and covers all the related expenses.

But amid his contract negotiations, the analyst is receiving backlash. However, he responded to the criticism on his show.

“The first time we licensed the show through ESPN, one of these happened, we got blamed,” he said on his show. “OK, OK. Thank you. I feel like you don’t fully understand budgets and where things are coming from, but I do appreciate that. This time, we’re getting blamed as well. Which I guess I can understand, but I mean, there’s billions and billions of dollars in these companies, and hard decisions have to get made. And we don’t like any of them, and we hope we’re an asset to the company going forward.”

For now, McAfee’s contract extension seems to be in the talking stage. But it’s safe to say that before signing his lucrative deal, McAfee has already become the center of ESPN’s layoffs.