Report: ESPN plans to add a Pat McAfee alt-cast to Monday Night Football

Posted by Admin August 20, 2026 NFL

Pat McAfee’s foray into Monday nights won’t end at the pregame show.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that ESPN will add a McAfee alt-cast to Monday Night Football — if the NFL approves the move.

The plan would be for the McAfee-led effort to handle the games on the Mondays when the Mannings don’t. Currently, Peyton and Eli do their ManningCast 10 times per year.

Like the ManningCast, the McAfee-fest would be televised by ESPN2. Which sets the stage for a competition between the Mannings and McAfee for ratings supremacy in the spot across from the primary broadcast.

Oh, everyone involved will act like they don’t care, that they’re on the same team, rowing the same boat. And then they’ll count the hours and minutes until the Nielsen numbers are released each week.

Unlike the ManningCast, which has Peyton and Eli contribute from their homes, McAfee and company would presumably be in the stadium, since McAfee will be there anyway for Monday Night Countdown.

If the only remaining barrier is NFL approval, why wouldn’t the league consent? The NFL now owns 10 percent of ESPN. If ESPN management believes it’s good for the broader business, it’s good for ESPN. Which means it’s good for the NFL.

Of course, that may not keep the league from using the occasion as an opportunity to squeeze a few more dollars out of Disney — even if the league is basically paying 10 cents of each one back to itself.

The other issue is the risk of overexposure for McAfee. ESPN clearly doesn’t care about that. And McAfee would just use any blowback as fuel for the narrative that he’s an underdog outsider who’s just trying to make an honest living.