Pat McAfee’s $85 million deal with ESPN hasn’t even started and he’s already recruiting Shannon Sharpe to the media giant.
After The Post reported Wednesday that Sharpe is leaving FS1’s “Undisputed,” McAfee didn’t waste any time putting out feelers about a possible Sharpe-ESPN pairing.
“But Shannon being available… that’s a narrative shifter for a place,” McAfee said during Thursday’s installment of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“That’s a potential massive asset to a platform that maybe wants to launch… Shannon is going to be in a really good spot here I think and I hope to hell he comes to ESPN.
“And when I say come to ESPN, we’re not even at ESPN, but we’re going to be there and if Shannon Sharpe is to be there, and you start talking about like what a day could look like, that’s f—king awesome… and I am very excited about it.”
Although McAfee didn’t exactly invite Sharpe to be a part of his show, he appears to believe Sharpe would be a good fit at ESPN in some capacity.
“What was the tipping point? At what stage did it become a ‘No, we’re not going to be able to do it anymore?’” McAfee said, speculating about Sharpe and co-host Skip Bayless splitting up.
Warning: Explicit language
“This is a lot of obviously drama talk, but it to could directly affect our lives, which I hope happens.
“Shannon is a weapon, a real talent and we’re happy for him. Good luck out there.”
“We are MASSIVE Shannon Sharpe fans,” McAfee wrote on Twitter after the news of Sharpe’s impending free agency.
Sharpe and Fox Sports, which airs “Undisputed,” reached a buyout agreement, sources told The Post — with the Hall of Fame tight end’s final show expected to be aired after the 2023 NBA Finals conclude later this month.
Additionally, Sharpe’s popular “Club Shay Shay” podcast will also vacate the Fox umbrella.
The 54-year-old Sharpe joined “Undisputed” in 2016, and tensions with Bayless reportedly have been brewing for years.
After the news of his coming departure, Sharpe liked a tweet that speculated jealousy played a part in the on-air breakup.
“Their relationship got progressively worse over the last 2 maybe 3 years because skip fought for him to be on that show but I feel like skip couldn’t stand Shannon succeeding without and that’s when skip was taking pot shots on air,” the tweet read.
Sharpe and Bayless did not acknowledge the news during Thursday’s installment of “Undisputed” — and shared an awkward fist bump at the top of the show.
As for McAfee?
The former NFL punter has been combatting backlash after announcing his move from FanDuel to ESPN in a multi-million dollar deal last month.
McAfee, who is in the second year of a four-year, $120 million contract with FanDuel, is expected to take the show to ESPN in the fall, The Post first reported.
It is unclear how FS1 will move forward with the show in terms of a potential replacement for Sharpe.