Is Shannon Sharpe headed to ESPN?

Jan 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos former tight end Shannon Sharpe in attendance against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Shannon Sharpe reached a buyout with FOX Sports that ended his tenure with the network last month. Now he is available to find new projects, and there are some signs that he could be headed to a rival network.

Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy wrote a column where he made three media-related predictions. One of the predictions was that Sharpe would end up at ESPN.

McCarthy mentions that if Sharpe were to join ESPN, he could fit in on “Monday Night Countdown” and also sit opposite Stephen A. Smith on “First Take.” After debating Skip Bayless on FS1’s “Undisputed” the last seven years, there is little doubt that Sharpe is well suited to appear on a debate-style show.

Apparently Sharpe has also been in talks with FanDuel, which is looking for more media personalities after losing Pat McAfee to ESPN.

There are a few potential holdups. The most obvious one is that ESPN just cut a whole bunch of costs from their on-air staff, so they might not be eager to add another expensive personality. The other is that after leaving FOX Sports, Sharpe may want to go the independent route rather than join another network. He already has his successful “Club Shay Shay” show and can probably continue to be independent if he wanted to.

But Sharpe dropped a hint that seems to indicate ESPN could be his next stop.

Whatever he decides, many are eager to find out what the 55-year-old does next.