Pat McAfee's ESPN takeover is complete: How 'Monday Night Football' is latest addition to tiring resume originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
ESPN will have more Pat McAfee on its football broadcasts this fall.
McAfee, already a staple of the network's "College GameDay" show and college football coverage in general, is set to join "Monday Night Countdown" for the 2026 NFL season, The Athletic reported Wednesday.
After reportedly working on a significant contract extension with ESPN, McAfee's responsibilities are only growing, as he is set to be in front of a camera on most days.
Here's a look at all of McAfee's ESPN responsibilities moving forward.
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Why Pat McAfee is joining ESPN's 'Monday Night Football'On Wednesday, The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported that McAfee was joining "Monday Night Countdown," the pregame show to ESPN's "Monday Night Football" broadcast.
With ESPN set to broadcast the Super Bowl this February, McAfee's Monday night role is "positioning him to be a large part of ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage" by that point in the NFL season. He'll be joined by host Scott Van Pelt, Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears and Jason McCourty on the show.
McAfee's Monday night duties will not impact his show or college football coverage, per The Athletic.
In June, Marchand also reported that McAfee was working on a contract extension with ESPN worth $60 million to $65 million per year, including the potential for more NFL coverage.
What shows is Pat McAfee on?- "Monday Night Countdown" analyst (Monday nights)
- "The Pat McAfee Show" host (weekday afternoons)
- "College GameDay" analyst (Saturdays)
- Other special event/studio appearances
McAfee has been hosting "The Pat McAfee Show" for around nine years in total now, with ESPN picking up the show live on its airwaves in 2023. The program, which includes everything from general sports talk to guest interviews, is hosted by McAfee every weekday from 12 to 3 p.m. ET. The show broadcasts live from the DraftKings Thunderdome in Lawrence, Indiana, though it has traveled in the past. ESPN's deal with "The Pat McAfee Show" was reported to be worth $85 million.
On Monday nights, McAfee will now be joining "Monday Night Countdown" for more focused NFL coverage. "Monday Night Countdown" is ESPN's lead-in show to "Monday Night Football," with McAfee set to provide analysis on that night's week-concluding NFL matchup.
College football fans are well-familiar with McAfee as well. Since 2022, he's been a full-time analyst on "College GameDay," a role he will continue for the 2026 season.
Outside of his daily show, Monday nights and Saturday mornings, McAfee has also been a Swiss Army knife for ESPN for other events. He's appeared on shows like "Get Up" in the past, and he's also done live alt-casts on ESPN2 for events like the College Football Playoff and the NBA Finals.
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Pat McAfee scheduleBetween his own show on weekdays, "Monday Night Countdown" and "College GameDay," McAfee will be booked and busy for most hours throughout the upcoming football season.
Here's a look at how his weekly schedule lays out:
- Sunday: N/A
- Monday: "The Pat McAfee Show" 12 to 3 p.m. ET, "Monday Night Countdown" 6 to 8 p.m. ET
- Tuesday: "The Pat McAfee Show" 12 to 3 p.m. ET
- Wednesday: "The Pat McAfee Show" 12 to 3 p.m. ET
- Thursday: "The Pat McAfee Show" 12 to 3 p.m. ET
- Friday: "The Pat McAfee Show" 12 to 3 p.m. ET
- Saturday: "College GameDay" 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET
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