Pat McAfee once donned the Indianapolis Colts‘ jersey during his NFL career, which ran from 2009 to 2016. He quickly became a standout punter, even making it to two Pro Bowl teams. However, McAfee didn’t just fade away after retirement; he pivoted to the world of sports media. His personality and insightful commentary led to the explosive popularity of The Pat McAfee Show, which caught the attention of ESPN. Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, the broadcaster has made a major announcement for McAfee’s show

“NFL Draft programming across ESPN networks🏈 Wednesday, The @PatMcAfeeShow & ‘NFL Live’ kick off coverage from the 2026 #NFLDraft, live from Pittsburgh,” wrote ESPN PR on X.

The 2026 NFL Draft will go down from April 23 to 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The live coverage for the event is set to kick off with The Pat McAfee Show at 2 pm ET. Meanwhile, ‘NFL Live’ will take over following that from 4 pm ET, with the actual draft show expected to begin at 8 pm ET.

For McAfee, this isn’t the first time his show has been honored with a segment on the NFL Draft. His show running during draft days comes as part of the monumental deal he signed in 2023, which was a five-year contract worth around $85 million to bring his show to ESPN. Since 2024, The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular has consistently been an official part of ESPN’s multi-platform draft coverage, analyzing every pick of the first round in real-time.

However, for the 2026 NFL Draft, McAfee’s participation appeared uncertain. The reason behind this was the 38-year-old’s extracurricular activities. In addition to being an NFL commentator, he often appeared on WWE shows as a commentator or in-ring performer. Last weekend, his appearance at WrestleMania 42 seemed to have caused him an injury.

“I got my scans back after a hellacious WrestleMania Saturday,” said McAfee on X.

Serving as Randy Orton’s “advisor” and cornerman, McAfee stood ringside when Orton fought Cody Rhodes. However, he couldn’t help himself from being involved. But that resulted in Rhodes inflicting major damage as he stunned McAfee with a Cross Rhodes on the broadcast table.

Not just that, even musical artist Jelly Roll, who was his counterpart, attacked the 38-year-old. Roll performed a jump attack in action and drove McAfee through the table with an elbow drop. As a result, the former NFL player was stretchered out of the arena.

“Whole body goes lifeless,” McAfee recounted. “I get to the back, turns out, just need a little bit of coverage for your neck. I run back out there. One, two, and then Randy Orton RKOs me. Bang, another neck thing. I thought for sure I was gonna have a C2 to C5 problem. Got scans back this morning, live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Guess what? We’re clear.”

Although he seemed to sustain serious injuries, McAfee has been medically cleared. He is now preparing for his show in the upcoming NFL Draft. Amid that, his wife provided a significant update regarding the extracurricular activities he gets involved with.

Pat McAfee’s wife confirms his departure from WWE ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft

During Pat McAfee‘s appearance at Wrestlemania 42, there was a stipulation. According to that, if Randy Orton loses against Cody Rhodes, McAfee would have to leave the WWE. His wife, Samantha, has also confirmed this news by posting a story of her husband in a neck brace on Instagram.

“First morning since 2017, babe is completely out of the wrestling business, thanks @jellyroll615,” she wrote.

Samantha looked relieved. Why wouldn’t she, considering the risks of injuries the sport carries? Since early 2018, McAfee has frequently made WWE appearances, along with running his show, covering the NFL. Samantha seemed quite content with the idea of her husband’s role as a TV personality.

Upon his departure from WWE, McAfee will focus entirely on his ESPN role and the opportunity of covering the NFL draft on his platform.