Pat McAfee’s media career continues to grow. Since retiring from the NFL in 2017, the former All-Pro punter has built a massive brand, hosting his own show on ESPN and appearing on College GameDay. Now his show has earned a high-profile nomination on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, McAfee led ESPN’s NFL free agency coverage. He is now preparing for a "Draft Spectacular" live from Green Bay in April. In this vacuum, he recently argued with analyst Dan Orlovsky over the 2026 NFL Draft.
While Orlovsky favored Alabama’s Ty Simpson, the 38-year-old defended Indiana Hoosiers’ Fernando Mendoza, the current Heisman winner.
But beyond the NFL, his resume is growing spectacularly as the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards nominees were announced Wednesday by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and “The Pat McAfee Show” earned a nomination for Outstanding Sports Studio Show in the Daily category.
It competes against First Things First (FS1), NBA Today, NFL Live, and SportsCenter, and surprisingly, all these shows air on ESPN. It is important to note that the network leads all networks with 62 total nominations this year.
The nomination comes as McAfee expands beyond sports. Earlier this year, Front Office Sports reported that he hired superagent Ari Emanuel to book movie and TV roles. He has already landed a part in the 2026 film The Mosquito Bowl and an appearance in the series Tulsa King.
To manage this workload, McAfee stepped away from his WWE commentary duties, noting the company is "in a good spot" without him. He is now balancing his daily ESPN show with these new acting projects and a leading role in ESPN's major event coverage.
The Sports Emmy winners will be announced Tuesday, May 26, at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York.
