With ESPN struggling to make headway on a new deal with Troy Aikman to remain as color commentator on Monday Night Football beyond this season, the network may have to go with an unconventional chose to replace him.
On the latest episode of The Press Box podcast with Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson, the two men discussed potential replacements and plans that ESPN might have for Monday Night Football if Aikman doesn’t get a new deal. Curtis mused that Pat McAfee might be the man that ESPN tabs to replace him, though recognized that he was potentially making a lot of people angry by even suggesting it.
“I hesitate to say this because it’s like saying ‘Candyman’ and something bad appears. You know the person who would actually cross this divide?” Curtis said. “Pat McAfee. He’s kind of that guy for our time. Oh man. And if Troy Aikman doesn’t get re-signed at Monday Night Football, again, Candyman, Candyman, I’m sorry, I’m sorry to all of humanity if I’ve done something here.”
Curtis likened a potential McAfee addition to ESPN previously hiring comedian Dennis Miller to serve as a commentator alongside Al Michaels and Dan Fouts in 2000.
“To me, putting him in the booth would be getting football, plus funny. I mean, he played football; he can talk ball, we know that. Yeah. And then you’d be getting all the off-the-top-of-the-head comedy stuff. I’m sorry. I apologize. But that, that to me is as close as we get to Dennis Miller,” he added.
The parallel to Miller would certainly work: Many NFL fans probably find Miller and McAfee equally funny (or distasteful).
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McAfee on MNF
Fans have already made it pretty clear that they don’t like seeing McAfee on virtually every major ESPN program and this past week expressed their disappointment at him being featured on Monday Night Football alongside Scott Van Pelt and Jason Kelce.
So it really shouldn’t be a surprise that the response to this suggestion has been pretty negative online.
If McAfee were to feature on Monday Night Football as a color commentator one would think it’s likely to be in a transitional phase until ESPN can find a more permanent solution. ESPN would probably want to make Greg Olsen their primary target as he languishes as the No. 2 color commentator on FOX.
By moving McAfee to MNF, ESPN could save some money while they find their long-term answer since he’s already being paid like a top-three talent at the network.
