Report: Keyshawn Johnson Not Released from ESPN Contract Despite 'Undisputed' Rumors

Skip Bayless' announcement of Keyshawn Johnson joining Undisputed may have been premature.

Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post reported Johnson has not yet reached a buyout on his contract with ESPN and will not be able to join Undisputed until he does. Johnson was among the on-air talent ESPN let go earlier this year, even thought he was in only the second year of a five-year, $18 million contract.

Media contracts are typically guaranteed and include things like non-compete clauses in the event a person is let go. Johnson could sit at home and collect the remainder of his contract with ESPN and stay off air. However, it's more likely the two sides will reach a buyout for a number less than the amount remaining on his contract to allow him to join FS1 in the process.

Bayless announced Johnson as part of a rotating cast of co-hosts to replace Shannon Sharpe on Monday. Johnson will be joined by Richard Sherman, Rachel Nichols, Michael Irvin and Lil Wayne, according to Marchand and Glasspiegel.

Sharpe left Undisputed after the 2023 NBA Finals and will join ESPN's First Take during the NFL season.

Johnson had been a regular fixture on ESPN since 2007. He was a regular on ESPN's host of NFL programming, along with Get Up and First Take. ESPN launched a morning radio show in 2020 starring Johnson, Jay Williams and Max Kellerman.

The show was canceled as part of ESPN budget cuts that also included Kellerman's exit from the network.

Bayless and Sharpe served as co-hosts of Undisputed since 2016, coinciding with Bayless' exit from ESPN. While the two stars shared an undeniable on-screen chemistry, tensions between Sharpe and Bayless mounted in recent years and led to a divorce.