ESPN is reporting the broadcast company is negotiating to be the sole rights holder of the College Football Playoff for the next eight years.

According to the report, which cited sources, the length of the deal would include the final two years of the current CFP contract and a six-year agreement for the next version of the playoff.

ESPN, per the report, is considering paying approximately $1.3 billion for the new six-year deal starting in 2026.

Currently, ESPN has the rights to the current, 12-year contract, which expires after the 2025 season. In that time, of course, the CFP will expand from four to 12 teams this fall.

As pointed in the report and previously reported, the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick all had agreed that multiple broadcast partners would be in the best interest of the sport.

CFP executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN the organization is no longer in the exclusive negotiating window with ESPN.

“Don’t have a timeline,” Hancock said. “We’re getting close.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.