Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee has reportedly signed a deal with ESPN that will include a role as color analyst on Thursday night college football primetime games, as well as regular appearances on "Get Up!"
McAfee, 32, will be on the Thursday night broadcast alongside his former teammate Matt Hasselbeck, Adam Amin and Molly McGrath. Those college games will be in competition against the NFL's weekly Thursday night games airing on NBC, but McAfee might be electric enough to bring some additional eyes to ESPN on Thursday nights.
“Fans are about to learn what I have experienced firsthand: Pat is one of the most insightful and entertaining people in the world to watch a football game with,” said Hasselbeck. “He combines a wealth of on-the-field experience with his natural comedic nature, making him a unique personality that has the ability to captivate an audience. Viewers are in for a treat on Thursday nights and, personally, I can’t wait for the experience of calling games with him.”
McAfee, who abruptly retired in 2016 after eight NFL seasons, spent some time as an on-air personality with Barstool Sports before inking a multi-year deal with WWE in February.
Given his ties to WWE, one would assume that McAfee will also be a part of future XFL broadcasts, which will air weekly on ABC and FOX in 2020, complemented by games on ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2.