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Pat McAfee on potential WWE return: 'That business has passed me by a little bit'

DR Lewisby: Derek Lewis03/09/26

ESPN personality Pat McAfee wears many hats. He’s a radio host, a College GameDay football analyst, and at times an in-game football broadcaster. But, currently, he isn’t a WWE color commentator, and he doesn’t foresee that changing anytime soon.

As Wrestlemania season has slowly turned up since early February, McAfee has not returned to his post alongside play-by-play great Michael Cole. And, his absence has left fans wondering if he’ll be returning anytime soon.

Turns out, the answer is no — at least for now.

“I don’t think you ever say never, especially with the WWE,” McAfee said, replying to a fan question via his Instagram. “But right now, it does not feel like it is something that is supposed to happen. It feels like that business has kind of passed me by a little bit.

“I grew up loving it, dreamed of working it, [and] feel honored that I got the opportunity to work alongside the GOAT, Michael Cole. But I feel like the business is in a good spot without me. I’ll continue to watch.”

Since 2021, McAfee has split time between his ESPN responsibilities and the WWE. He has sporadically been off television, normally in the fall due to his College GameDay duties. Between his radio show, the 365-day WWE calendar and ESPN’s flagship Saturday college pregame show, the travel burden would be tough for anyone. And that calculus doesn’t even include WWE PLEs, which normally also occur on Saturdays.

Still to this point, McAfee has always returned for Wrestlemania season in some form or fashion.

Pat McAfee takes a WWE hiatus

Save for an appearance at Wrestlepalooza in Indianapolis last September, McAfee hasn’t graced WWE airwaves since June of last year. Shortly after the culmination of his brief feud with Gunther at Backlash, exhaustion finally caught up to the former NFL punter.

“I got real tired, man,” McAfee said in July on his radio show, via USA Today.

“I could just feel it. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, my brain is not operating right now. I knew this moment was coming, like I knew it was gonna happen at some point.”

Like all of sports, the WWE is a fast-moving business. A long hiatus isn’t conducive to keeping up with the ever-changing wrestling landscape. McAfee seems to have recognized that and doesn’t feel like a return would be wise.

Or, maybe, McAfee is putting on a work and will appear on Monday Night Raw in a few hours. In the world of WWE and Pat McAfee, one can never be too sure what’s reality and what’s entertainment.