Shannon Sharpe’s final show on Fox (FOX) was on June 13, but the sports host is already in talks with other networks about his next move.
The former host of FS1’s “Undisputed” is reportedly in “early talks” with FanDuel TV, the network of sports betting giant FanDuel, according to a report by Front Office Sports.
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Sharpe tweeted on Monday, June 19 that fans will see him back on TV again “soon,” and FOS reported that it would make sense for Sharpe to be back on air before the football season.
The NFL 2023-24 season starts on September 7, but preseason begins on August 3.
FanDuel has some big names on air like Shams Charania and Kay Adams, but they’re reeling from the loss of their biggest superstar, Pat McAfee, to ESPN.
McAfee was in the second year of his four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel before jumping to ESPN for a smaller contract that is about $85 million over five years, according to the New York Post.
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But McAfee’s deal shows that FanDuel has the propensity to throw big money towards sports personalities and that could be how it lures Sharpe away from ESPN. There are no reports that ESPN has been in talks with Sharpe, but McAfee and Stephen A. Smith have already acknowledged that they would welcome Sharpe at Disney’s (DIS) sports network.
One additional incentive to joining FanDuel is that it could also offer Sharpe a contract that would allow him to stay active at other media outlets the same way Charania is able to maintain his deals with The Athletic and Stadium.