Nick Khan revealed a pretty remarkable detail about Pat McAfee’s ongoing power struggle with ESPN executives during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday.

After an executive was pushed out of the network (Khan didn’t name who, but it would be hard not to connect this story to Norby Williamson’s departure at ESPN), the WWE President said multiple ESPN executives, suddenly aware of McAfee’s influence, started reaching out, hoping to get on the good side of the network’s new kingmaker. These were people who had previously crossed McAfee or done him wrong, and who were now suddenly interested in building a relationship. One of them suggested meeting to talk things through.

And at least one of them got a response they probably weren’t expecting.

“You’re next,” McAfee’s text apparently read.

“Like the Goldberg sort of ‘You’re next,’” Khan said, referencing the wrestling catchphrase. “I know people would need more context to fully appreciate that, but I know you know what I’m talking about, and the boys know what I’m talking about.”

McAfee didn’t deny it. He didn’t elaborate either, but the implication was clear enough. An ESPN executive who’d spent months or years on the wrong side of McAfee suddenly realized the former Indianapolis Colts punter had more juice at the network than they did, tried to make nice, and got told to kick rocks.

The Williamson situation established a pretty clear power dynamic. In January 2024, McAfee called out Williamson by name on his show, accusing the longtime ESPN executive of being a “rat” who was trying to “sabotage” his program by leaking negative ratings information. ESPN talent doesn’t typically attack senior executives on air without facing consequences. McAfee faced none. Three months later, Williamson was out after nearly 40 years with the company.

ESPN maintained Williamson’s departure had nothing to do with McAfee, pointing instead to strategic disagreements between Williamson and content president Burke Magnus. But when you publicly call out a senior executive on your show, and three months later, he’s gone while you’re untouched, the rest of the building notices.

That’s apparently what happened in April when Williamson left. Other ESPN executives who’d crossed McAfee or stood in his way suddenly started reaching out, presumably hoping to avoid Williamson’s fate. Khan’s story suggests that at least some of those peace offerings were met with the corporate equivalent of a middle finger.

Khan didn’t name which executive received the message because there are several possibilities. He’s taken shots at multiple ESPN figures over the past two years, including angry comments about rats and dinosaurs during Adam Schefter’s return to the show after a noted hiatus. More recently, he criticized “old ESPN people” after facing backlash for his College GameDay performances. Any of those relationships could have prompted the reconciliation attempt Khan described.

ESPN pays McAfee $85 million over five years to license The Pat McAfee Show for its midday slot, but McAfee still owns the show and his YouTube presence. He’s not a traditional ESPN employee. He’s a partner who happens to work on their air, which gives him a completely different relationship with management than most talent. When McAfee threatens executives or airs grievances publicly, he’s not risking his job the way a normal employee would. He’s leveraging his independent platform against a network that needs him more than he needs them.

That’s a hell of a position to be in, and McAfee seems determined to remind everyone at ESPN that he knows it. The “you’re next” text is just the latest example of him doing exactly that. Who that was directed at and what their status is now or will be down the line remains unclear, but McAfee’s confidence in playing by his own rules certainly doesn’t.