Pat McAfee, FanDuel Agree to Massive Deal

Pat McAfee and FanDuel today announced a massive new deal to extend their partnership. The extension stretches four years, per Ian Rapoport, with an opt-out after year three. The Athletic's Shams Charania reports the deal will net McAfee nearly $30 million annually.

As part of the deal, FanDuel will remain the official sportsbook of Pat McAfee Inc. and the Pat McAfee Show. FanDuel will now work with the PMI team to create new shows and segments while making a significant investment in a new campus/complex to support PMI’s production efforts. The agreement includes the naming and branding rights for the soon-to-be redesigned live studio for the Pat McAfee Show. The new complex will be known as “The FanDuel Igloo” and will house production studios, lounge, basketball court, and a golf simulator.

Any further questions can surely be answered by this 17-minute explainer.

The price tag here is equal parts stunning and impressive. McAfee walked away from the NFL and has bet on himself every day since. He's cultivated an incredibly lucrative brand and found partners willing to reward him for it. Anyone following his career knew a day like this was coming sooner or later, perhaps with not as much weight and force as it did.

Over the course of this year it's becoming abundantly clear that there's a gold rush for talent capable of bringing an audience to a gambling partner. McAfee is among the special few who can prove the claim. His is a model that will be attempted to replicate, but extremely difficult to reproduce.