Paul Finebaum keeps getting asked about his future at ESPN and his answers aren’t bringing us any closer to knowing what’s next for one of college football’s premier analysts.
Late last year Finebaum was connected to DAZN, but earlier this month he said “I love working at ESPN and have no interest in doing anything else,” regarding his contract which has one year left. Monday morning, Finebaum was less reassuring of a continued relationship with ESPN, telling Birmingham’s WJOX he’s “not really sure.” Last week it was reported Finebaum would continue his regular radio and TV contributions to ESPN, but was departing the college gameday show SEC Nation.
“I’m not really sure,” Finebaum told WJOX according to 247 Sports. “Obviously, everything depends on what happens. But I’ll probably be the last to know. Here’s the problem and you guys know me pretty well. The company doesn’t like us talking about things until they issue their formal statements.”
The company might not like him talking about it, but that won’t stop Finebaum from being asked about his future with ESPN. His answer to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports from last week was much more reassuring if you’re hoping to see Finebaum stay with ESPN.
“I’ve never enjoyed working for this company more. I’ve never been more honored and felt more of a responsibility than over the last (couple of months). What may have appeared in the media in November or December or January and February is fine. I can’t undo whatever reporting went into those things or whatever people were thinking about, But right now, I don’t want to go anywhere.”
Finebaum’s current deal with ESPN worth a reported $5 million annually was signed in July 2018 and is set to run through 2021. While Finebaum will almost assuredly have multiple suitors, he’s also reportedly exploring the possibility of launching his own platform using The Ringer as an example.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
