McAfee Denies Talks to Replace Aikman at ESPN

Pat McAfee denied that ESPN has discussed moving him into Troy Aikman’s Monday Night Football booth, as an ESPN executive praised McAfee’s work and said a full-time game-calling role would be his decision. ESPN has not announced a change to its traditional broadcast team, leaving the replacement talk speculative. “There’s been zero conversation about this,” McAfee wrote in response to a social media post suggesting he could replace Aikman. The speculation followed discussion of McAfee’s growing role in ESPN’s NFL coverage and the possibility that his upcoming alternate broadcasts could offer a chance to assess his style. McAfee’s response rejected the claim that such talks had taken place. Mike Foss, ESPN’s executive vice president and executive editor of sports news and entertainment, praised McAfee at the Tuned In Summit. Foss called him a “generational” talent and said he might be “a journalist at heart,” pointing to McAfee’s curiosity, contacts and ability to obtain information quickly. Foss also described him as an effective interviewer and producer.