"Aw f*ck, I’m out": Ex-Bucs HC reveals drug test likely stopped Pat McAfee from getting Super Bowl ring

Pat McAfee played his entire NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2016. McAfee played in a Super Bowl with Indy in 2010, but his team lost to the New Orleans Saints. However, the former punter reportedly had a chance to win a Super Bowl in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to "The Athletic," then-Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians called up McAfee in December 2020 to see if he would be interested in signing for the team in its playoff run. McAfee was reportedly ready to come out of retirement after four years, but an alleged drug test discussion made the punter backtrack on his plans.

“He (McAfee) said, ‘I gotta pass a drug test?’ I said, ‘Yep.’ ‘Aw f*ck, I’m out,'” Bruce Arians said on "The Athletic’s" series about the mental side of sports.

The Buccaneers had put their entire special teams unit on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of their Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. That's why Arians called up McAfee to see if he could handle both kicking and punting duties.

In February 2021, after the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl, McAfee opened up on the conversation he had with Arians on his show.

“If I was worse with the way I handled COVID, I’d probably have a Super Bowl ring right now," McAfee said. If I had the antibodies, I potentially would’ve came back potentially for a team one week. But I got tested, did not have the antibodies, because I never had the COVID.”

Arians was the offensive coordinator and interim head coach for the Colts in 2012, when McAfee was playing for the team.

Pat McAfee has been working at ESPN since 2019

ESPN analyst Pat McAfee - Source: Imagn

Following his retirement, Pat McAfee ventured into analysis. He signed a multi-year deal at ESPN to work on college football games and appear on shows like "Get Up."

McAfee later became a key member of "College GameDay" in 2022 before bringing his own show. He currently serves as one of the main hosts for "GameDay."