"With a potential $60 million-$65 million annual extension reportedly waiting in the wings, ESPN is clearly wanting to make a significant investment in his future. Whether you love McAfee, tolerate him or cannot stand him, there is little denying his ability to generate attention."
"It's bittersweet. What I will do is just be grateful. I'll be grateful for the 26 years with Salem, and the 50 years in the business, and the wonderful people that I've worked with."
Middlekauff explained his career steps to Adam Schein, detailing his journey through college sports before ultimately moving into the sports talk game.
The news -- which was first reported by Andrew Marchand of The New York Post -- comes after Prime Video recently concluded its second season as the home of the NFL's Thursday Night Football package.
"He really was cooler than the other side of the pillow and I think everybody in our community, not just the media community, but also the black community, really appreciated the flair he brought to broadcast TV."
"It's bittersweet. What I will do is just be grateful. I'll be grateful for the 26 years with Salem, and the 50 years in the business, and the wonderful people that I've worked with."
"I was only going to use it to mess with people. I did not plan on it being big at all. But it lends to what I do, which is find stuff. And because it’s sports, it makes it that much better for me."