Bruce Arians claims NFL drug testing likely cost Pat McAfee a Super Bowl ring

Pat McAfee was one failed drug test away from a Super Bowl ring. Or one positive COVID antibody test. It depends on which version of the story you believe.

The basic facts aren’t in dispute. In December 2020, the Buccaneers put their entire special teams unit on the reserve/COVID-19 list heading into their game against the Falcons. And Bruce Arians, who coached McAfee when he was the Colts’ offensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2012, reached out to see if his former punter would come out of retirement to handle both kicking and punting duties for one week.

McAfee, who retired after the 2016 season to build his media empire, was interested. The Bucs went on to win the Super Bowl that year, which means McAfee would’ve gotten a ring for kicking in maybe one game, two tops, before Ryan Succop and/or Bradley Pinion returned.

What stopped it from happening? That’s where the story gets murky.

McAfee’s version, which he told on his show in February 2021, pins it on COVID protocols. He said the NFL required players to either test positive for COVID antibodies or complete a 10-day quarantine and get a negative test. McAfee got tested for the antibodies. He didn’t have them. The Bucs needed him immediately for the Falcons game, and there wasn’t time for him to complete the 10-day quarantine. Succop and Pinion cleared protocol before the game anyway, so it became a moot point.

“If I was worse with the way I handled COVID I would probably have a Super Bowl ring,” McAfee said at the time.

But Arians told a completely different story when he appeared on The Athletic’s series about the mental side of sports. Arians said he called McAfee, asking if he could kick, told him he wouldn’t even need to come to Tampa, just start practicing, and they’d fly him in for games if needed. McAfee said yes. Then, Arians asked if he could pass a drug test.

“He said, ‘I gotta pass a drug test?’ I said, ‘Yep.’ ‘Aw f*ck, I’m out,'” Arians recalled.

@theathletic Bruce Arians almost made Pat McAfee a Super Bowl Champion. 🏆 For more behind the scenes confessions check out our full piece with the link in our bio 🔗 #nfl #sports #colts #confessions #patmcafee ♬ original sound – The Athletic

So which version is true? It’s probably some combination of both.

It’s entirely plausible that McAfee knew he couldn’t pass an NFL drug test in December 2020, nearly four years after retiring. It’s also plausible that the COVID antibody issue was real and became the easier explanation to tell publicly. The timeline supports both narratives. The Bucs needed help immediately. McAfee didn’t have antibodies, and even if he did, he may not have been able to pass the required drug screening.

Either way, McAfee came closer to playing in another Super Bowl than most people realize.