Pat McAfee recruits Shannon Sharpe to ESPN after legendary Broncos TE decides to leave Fox
The sudden decision of Shannon Sharpe to leave Fox Sports caught the media world napping. The legendary Denver Broncos tight end, who is part of FS1's "Undisputed" alongside Skip Bayless, reached an agreement to buy out his contract with the channel and become a free agent after the NBA Finals.
Sharpe is one of the best-known media personalities, and he has made a name for himself in his new career, prompting other stars to recruit him. This process has already started, with Pat McAfee pushing on his show for the former tight end to repeat McAfee's move and join ESPN:
"Shannon is going to be in a really good spot here," McAfee said. "I think and I hope to hell he comes to ESPN. We're not even out here, but we're gonna be there, and if Shannon Sharpe has to be there, and I started to think about, like, what a day could look like, that's fu**ing awesome, and I am very excited about it."
Why is Shannon Sharpe leaving "Undisputed"? Is there any clear reason?
Since the news broke on Wednesday, there has been a lot of speculation as to why Shannon Sharpe decided to call it quits on his time at Fox Sports, but nobody has said the clear reason for the change yet.
His relationship with Skip Bayless doesn't look the same in 2023, and this could be the case. Although they've kept it professional, the two had a big discussion on the show after Bayless' insensitive tweet about the Damar Hamlin situation while it unfolded. Sharpe even missed the show the day after the incident.
Another speculation that has arisen is about the lack of topic selection on the show, with Skip picking most of the topics debated by the pair. Clearly, after seven years with Bayless, he feels that he can demand more freedom in his projects, and that's a fair assessment.
While the real reasons will remain unknown until he talks about them, there are no clear motives given for the buyout. The financial compensation is also undisclosed, but it's clear that the current lineup of "Undisputed" on FS1 will see its final days.
But everybody must admit that seeing him on ESPN with Pat McAfee would be really fun.