Pat McAfee calls reporter a “rat” for writing hit piece on paying Aaron Rodgers ‘millions’

Pat McAfee recently started his huge five-year, $85 million deal with ESPN and has taken the same team with him, with AJ Hawk, Aaron Rodgers and Nick Saban making sporadic appearances during the week.

But a new article by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post states that while Rodgers is a big friend of Pat McAfee, he's getting paid a lot of money for his appearances. On Thursday, McAfee defended his stance of paying the quarterback for his efforts, while also criticizing Marchand for his article:

I have always had the view that, if somebody is going to make money for us, that person is going to reap the benefit from it. New York Post talking about me giving Aaron Rodgers money for helping our company and investing in our company with his time, his effort and his energy... people think that's a hit piece. But I would like people to know: if you believe that humans should work their d*cks off for you, and not get paid for it, you're a massive part of the problem as well. So with that being said, Andrew Marchand is a rat. That is what he is. He tried to paint this in a way that makes me look like a bad person - and it's, like, you're the bad person.

How much does Pat McAfee pay Aaron Rodgers for his appearances?

While the exact numbers aren't clear, Pat McAfee told the New York Post in a direct message that he has surely paid more than $1 million over the course of the years for Rodgers' appearances.

McAfee also replied to the Post that "Rodgers deserves much more":

“My company went from a valuation of [$2 million to $5 million] to a company valued over $500 million in just a few years,” McAfee told the New York Post. “Everybody who helped us get to this point has reaped the benefits of it, that’s how business is supposed to work. To be transparent, Aaron deserves much more than what he’s gotten for the time and effort he has put into ‘Aaron Rodgers’ Tuesdays.’

The New York Jets quarterback certainly has earned way more money during his playing years than what he gets from his appearances at the show. However, McAfee thinks that he still deserves to be paid just for making the company grow in value.

Aaron Rodgers is currently nursing an Achilles tear and is not expected to return to play during the 2023 season.