Keyshawn Johnson has reportedly reached a buyout with ESPN, officially ending his tenure with the “Worldwide Leader” and bringing him to FOX Sports 1 to join Skip Bayless on the revamped version of Undisputed. Johnson was laid off by ESPN following the cancellation of his national morning radio show with Jay Williams and Max Kellerman, but his on-air rights were still controlled by the network. As a result, Johnson and ESPN needed to negotiate the release from his deal, reportedly worth $18 million over five years.
Johnson will be joining Bayless as his full-time partner on Undisputed, officially serving as the successor to Shannon Sharpe. On Thursday, ESPN announced that Sharpe would contribute to First Take, appearing on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the NFL season. While Johnson frequently appeared across ESPN programming, including First Take, he will now compete against the show in the morning time slot. Johnson had been with the network in various capacities for parts of his 16 years, but he is now set to move to a new home. News of the completed transaction was first reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.
As part of the deal, Johnson also has the ability to join a radio outlet or podcast through a different entity. He will reportedly be making the same amount of money in his new contract with FOX Sports 1.
Johnson will join a new Undisputed lineup that includes hip-hop artist Lil’ Wayne, former NFL star Richard Sherman and basketball reporter Rachel Nichols. The first episode of the show with its new cast will launch on Monday, Aug. 28 starting at 9:30 a.m. EST/6:30 a.m. PST.
