The most important NFL news on Tuesday was the announcement by Pat McAfee that his show is heading to ESPN this fall. Sure, McAfee isn’t exclusively an NFL show. Still, its roots are football, and there was something that McAfee said that stuck out to me: “Jimmy Pitaro (ESPN President) and I have had incredible conversations about what ESPN could look like tomorrow.”
“ESPN will still have its debates and serious and riveting analysis, but all parties involved agree that the time has come for a bunch of sports stooges in a Thunderdome in Indiana to sprinkle in some fun and some celebration of sport as well.”
Yes. All I can say is Yes. I grew up on ESPN. The four-letter network helped sculpt the sports fan that I am today and, in some fashion, is responsible for my writing about sports as a career. However, the ESPN I grew up on has been dead for some time. But this signals that ESPN is ready to get with the times. Licensing McAfee’s show, giving them creative control, and airing the show on ESPN, ESPN +, and ESPN’s YouTube channel simultaneously is a sign that ESPN is ready to step into 2023 and have some fun.
I haven’t seen the financials on the McAfee ESPN deal. However, I saw somewhere on Twitter yesterday that McAfee might be in line for a salary north of $10 million per year. This is excellent news for football fans.
Aside from the Pat McAfee news, Joe Burrow grabbed some headlines on Tuesday afternoon. Burrow spoke to the media after a Bengals practice about his looming contract extension. “I’m involved. That’s in the works,” Burrow told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s not really something that I like to play out in the media. Just the way I think they want to do business, I want to do business. So, we prefer to keep that between us.”
Burrow was asked if he has spoken with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen about his second contract. Allen signed a six-year, $258 million extension in 2021. Burrow said he hadn’t spoken with Allen, who was suggested as a reference point for the type of deal that Burrow might be in line for.
“No, I haven’t really talked to (Allen) about it,” Burrow said. “I’m pretty clear on what I want in the contract and what I think is best for myself and the team. So we’re on the road to making that happen.”
As he goes through talks with the Bengals, Burrow said he’s considering teammates who could also receive contract extensions:
“Whenever you have guys on the team that need to be paid, that’s always on your mind,” Burrow said. “You want that to be a focal point. We’re working to make that happen.”
“It doesn’t matter how good your quarterback is. If you don’t have good players around him, you’re not going to be a very good team,” Burrow said on Tuesday. The quarterback understands what it takes to win. It’s also clear that he’s willing to make concessions to help the Bengals keep their stars. However, the question is how much of a concession he will take.
Joe Burrow on his looming contract extension:
“I’m pretty clear on what I want in the contract and what I think is best for myself and the team. So we’re on the road to making that happen.”
So, this Josh Harris purchase might be a better deal for the Commanders than we imagined:
EXCLUSIVE: ESPN obtained a confidential Josh Harris/Commanders financial prospectus, which predicts a cash windfall with Snyder gone — and potentially $1.5 BILLION public funds for a new VA stadium. w/ @john_keimhttps://t.co/SUa9hH8hAi— Seth Wickersham (@SethWickersham) May 16, 2023
ESPN reported that EA Sports plans to revive its NCAA football video game in 2024, collaborating with about 120 FBS schools to create the roster.
Raiders wide receiver Danante Adams expressed his desire to silence the doubters. Adams heard the “he can’t do it without Rodgers” discourse last offseason. So, Adams said that he was determined to make another All-Pro team in his first season in Vegas.
Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).
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