Pat McAfee reportedly ‘closing in’ on ‘Monday Night Football’ alt-cast for ESPN

For all those sports fans begging for more ways to consume Pat McAfee, ESPN is about to deliver once again.

After reporting McAfee is nearing a deal to join ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown studio show this fall, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic is now reporting McAfee is in talks to host a Monday Night Football alt-cast this season.

According to Marchand, ESPN is just waiting for approval from the NFL before moving forward, with the expectation that the McAfee Monday Night Football alt-cast will air on ESPN2 during weeks where the Peyton and Eli Manning are off. The Manningcast is slated for 12 weeks this season in addition to the Super Bowl.

ESPN is looking to have an alternative viewing option to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the lead broadcast each week, paving the way for more McAfee. And if there’s one thing ESPN seems to be all-in on right now, it’s more McAfee. The McAficiation of ESPN appears to be fully underway, and it’s happening quickly as McAfee nears a new deal with the company reportedly in the range of $60-65 million per year.

McAfee has done alt-casts for ESPN in the past, notably hosting one for the college football national championship. But with ESPN set to pay McAfee a historic sum of money, they want him to be more of a focal point on their NFL coverage, which they pay the league around $2.7 billion for each year. In addition to his increased NFL work and his daily afternoon show on ESPN, McAfee will continue to be a mainstay on College GameDay every Saturday morning.

There will undoubtedly be critics who roll their eyes at the thought of more McAfee on Monday Night Football. Some would argue the McAfee bubble on ESPN has already popped. But as McAfee emerges as the unequivocal face of ESPN, the Disney-owned sports network appears to have no concerns about overexposure.

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