Pat McAfee had a brilliant NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts before he ventured into the world of sports media. During his eight-year NFL career with the Colts, he made it to two Pro Bowl teams.  However, the 38-year-old recently revealed on The Pat McAfee Show that he was set to start with another franchise, but it all changed just before the 2009 draft.

“So, I had no idea. I had no contact with the Eagles.” McAfee said on The Pat McAfee Show, “So, when I got a call, I was watching in my house cuz I thought I was going to the Cowboys. I was told before the draft by Joe DeCamillis, special teams, “Hey, you’re going to be a cowboy. You’re going to be kicking for us down here.” I was like, “Sick, I’m going to be a Dallas Cowboy.” We partied hard. I mean, we had a great weekend. We had a lot of fun. Then, when it came Sunday to get drafted or whatever, we’re like, “All right, let’s settle in.” They drafted another guy, a kid, David, out of USC.”

While it seemed like McAfee was going to be Dallas-bound, the franchise decided to go with David Buehler in the fifth round of the 2009 Draft. This led Joe DeCamillis to apologize as the franchise moved away from its decision to draft McAfee.

“Joe DeCamillis actually told me, ‘Hey man, I’m so sorry that happened.’” McAfee recalled, “Well, no other team was really interested, so I don’t know if I’m going. I thought I might be heading back to school.”

Then things suddenly changed. McAfee said he got a call from Bill Polian, who was appointed as the team’s president in 2009.

“And then, yeah, I get the call from Bill Polian. That was so cool. He said, ” Hey, we think you can figure out punting.” McAfee replied, “Yeah, man, absolutely. I can’t wait to do that.”

It all ended up well for McAfee as he recorded 659 kickoffs for 42,797 kickoff yards as part of the Colts. He was a strong prospect, so much so that the franchise picked him over a future Super Bowl champion.

The Indianapolis Colts chose Pat McAfee over Julian Edelman

Interestingly, Pat McAfee’s post came after another post featuring Peter Schrager recalling how the Indianapolis Colts ended up drafting him.

The post includes a clip from The Pat McAfee Show’s 2026 NFL Draft coverage, where Schrager talks about how the Colts’ scout, Tom Telesco, strongly pushed for McAfee after watching him during warm-ups on the sidelines before a game in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Additionally, Schrager pointed out the Colts’ interest in Julian Edelman as a returner and wide receiver, and the plan was to draft both players in 2009 before ultimately choosing McAfee.

“Their plan all along was to draft both Pat McAfee and Julian Edelman,” Peter Schrager said on the show. “ It came up on the clock, and it was a debate in the war room. Do we take the punter-kicker or the quarterback that we want to convert to wide receiver? The punter kicker won the argument. Is selected by the Indianapolis Colts, and Edelman goes undrafted, and then he signs with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent.”

For the record, Edelman was not an undrafted free agent. He was actually selected by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

While Edelman went on to win Super Bowls with the Patriots, McAfee put up eight strong years with the Colts before deciding to retire and become one of the most renowned faces in American sports media.