NFL great JJ Watt left ESPN’s Pat McAfee momentarily dumfounded with a blunt question about the host’s massive salary as the network was rocked by layoffs on Tuesday.
The Houston Texans legend was appearing via satellite to receive a ‘Good Guy’ award from the show but quickly cut off McAfee’s preamble to inquire about the latest downsizing at ESPN.
‘Slow, slow news day over there on the ESPN airwaves, huh?’ the smirking Watt asked McAfee & Co. ‘I mean, besides the fact that you’re getting $100 million… Did they keep anybody? Or is everybody fired to pay you? I’m trying to figure that out.’
McAfee was left briefly stunned as his panel howled in the background during the discussion. He then collected himself and joked that Watt was going to ‘lose the award’ he was about to receive.
‘We do not like that,’ McAfee said as laughter continued in the background. ‘We do not appreciate that. That is the narrative, and I’m certainly taking it on the shins. The boys and I are very proud of the work that we have done. Thanks.’
A former NFL punter who licenses his talk show to ESPN, McAfee is paid $30 million by the network annually, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. What’s more, Marchand reported last month that McAfee and ESPN are negotiating a new extension that would pay $60 million a year.
However, McAfee’s exact net pay remains the subject of speculation because he is responsible for compensating his sizeable staff.
Pat McAfee was welcoming JJ Watt on the show to present him with an award on Tuesday
McAfee cracks a smile after being asked about his salary amid ESPN’s latest wave of layoffs
In any case, the layoffs looming over Tuesday’s show came as ESPN prepares for its first NFL season since its acquisition the league’s eponymous cable network – something McAfee was quick to reference.
‘Did they buy NFL Network this year?’ McAfee asked facetiously, referring to the well-publicized equity transaction finalized in January.
As for his own salary, McAfee downplayed Watt’s claim that the ESPN host is paid $100 million.
‘Don’t be reading the internet like that,’ McAfee said. ‘OK, you’re smarter than that.’
The smiling Watt then assured McAfee: ‘Oh, I read it.’
But McAfee did not run away from the discussion. Instead, the 39-year-old Pittsburgh-area native addressed the layoffs directly.
NFL analyst Ryan Clark was reportedly fired by the network while filming a show on Monday
Both NFL insider Tom Pelissero (left) and analyst Charles Davis (right) have been cut by ESPN
‘On that note, we hate anytime this happens,’ McAfee said. ‘Obviously, this is terrible. We don’t like that, but we are very honored that we are still partnering with ESPN and Disney for the good of sport for the future.
‘And I hate this,’ he continued. ‘We actually, when we first got there, there was one of. It feels like this happens in corporations a lot, kind of getting baptized into this. NFL teams don’t really do this, you know, so we’re not really in there.
‘The first time we licensed the show through ESPN [in 2023], one of these happened, we got blamed for it all. It’s like blame us, okay, okay. 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.’
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has become the latest casualty of ESPN’s brutal round of cuts
The Daily Mail has sought comment from ESPN spokespeople.
This week’s layoffs have impacted a number of shows on the network.
ESPN let go of several NFL analysts, including former league stars Ryan Clark, Cam Newton and Bart Scott. And while the Worldwide Leader appears to be keeping some NFL Network talent, including league insider Ian Rapoport, others such as Tom Pelissero have been let go, as first reported by Marchand.
Others impacted by the layoffs include long-time ESPN anchor and Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech, who had been at the network for 33 years, and SportsCenter’s David Lloyd.
