Kirk Herbstreit's golden retriever just landed an NIL deal. His name is Peter. He has zero years of college eligibility remaining and he has still out earned some of the players Herbstreit will be breaking down on Saturdays. Here's how a dog ends up with a shoe deal, basically. Herbstreit has been traveling with a golden retriever on the road for years. It started with a dog named Ben, who became a fixture at ESPN College GameDay and on Thursday Night Football broadcasts. Herbstreit called him his best friend. Ben passed away in November after a battle with cancer. He was 10. Peter, Ben's younger brother, took over the travel duties. And this football season, he's getting an actual job title. Hertz announced Peter has joined its "Gold Squad," a group of golden retrievers tied to the brand. Peter will host a weekly series called "Peter's Golden Picks," predicting the week's top matchups. Financial terms weren't disclosed. Sources close to the deal did confirm that treats played a meaningful role in the negotiation. "Peter and I spend most of football season traveling together, so joining the Hertz Gold Squad feels like a perfect fit," Herbstreit said. Fans have had mixed feelings about this for a while now, and not everyone is on board with the dog getting more camera time than the commentary. Radio host Gerry Callahan put it bluntly after Peter showed up at a Browns-Patriots preseason game this week. "Jesus, dude. Give it a rest. You've got a dog. Seems like a good dog. We're happy for you. Can we stop treating him like he landed on Omaha Beach? He's a dog." An Outkick poll found 75 percent of college football fans think Herbstreit's dogs are great, just maybe a little overexposed. But while he's on camera, Peter gets full VIP treatment. When he traveled to Cleveland for a Browns game last year, the team gave him a gift basket of treats and toys, plus a framed painting of Herbstreit and Ben with the caption "Chief Happiness Officer." Peter also boasts on air game picks now, joining a small and exclusive club of NFL prognosticators with four legs. Whether you're in the camp that thinks it's wholesome or the camp that's ready for the dog cameos to end, one thing is true. A golden retriever with no football experience just got signed by a real company, before plenty of actual rookies find a shoe deal. Peter was unavailable for comment. For more stories like this, follow us on any platform @thesportsontap