Keyshawn Johnson to join 'Undisputed' after ESPN settlement

What seems to be the last piece of the puzzle for the new-look 'Undisputed' on FS1 has finally found its space.

Keyshawn Johnson reached a buyout on the remainder of his contract with ESPN, clearing the way for the former show host and NFL wide receiver to join the program starting on Monday. The initial report last week from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post noted that Johnson would join the revamped show after getting laid off by ESPN in June.

According to Marchand, ESPN's non-compete agreement was the hold-up, prompting Skip Bayless to pump the breaks on the initial report. Marchand's latest post said that both ESPN and Johnson were able to work out the financials that let him move to FOX:

Even though Johnson was let go by ESPN in late June as part of their layoffs, ESPN still controlled his on-air rights as part of a five-year, $18 million contract that he signed just a year ago. Between the buyout with ESPN and the new deal with FS1, Johnson will make the same amount and will retain his audio rights, meaning he could still do radio or a podcast elsewhere, according to sources.

It was a buyout that set off a ton of movement between the most talked about debate shows on sports television. Shannon Sharpe took a buyout after deciding to leave 'Undisputed' after the NBA Finals, largely based on a reportedly fractured relationship between him and Bayless. In late June, ESPN went through its second round of company-wide layoffs, largely impacting on-screen talents such as Johnson, who did double-duty on television and radio for a number of years.

Sharpe, of course, took full advantage of his free agency by not only going back to "First Take" - where he initially worked with Bayless - to spar with Stephen A. Smith but moving his "Club Shay Shay" onto Colin Cowherd's podcast network, The Volume. On Monday, less than two weeks before the start of the NFL season, "Undisputed" will return after a nearly two-month hiatus with several rotating co-hosts - Johnson, Richard Sherman, Rachel Nichols and rapper Lil Wayne, who is also providing the show's new theme, much to Bayless' delight.