No joke: Reason NFL star is walking away from millions

PAT McAfee is the best player at his position in the NFL — and his decision to walk away from $3.6 million is no joke.

Pat McAfee: A punter with personality personified.

PAT McAfee will be getting his kicks from his other passion.

The NFL punter is leaving football and the $3.6 million he was scheduled to make next season to pursue a career in comedy, the 29-year-old McAfee announced late Wednesday.

McAfee has been booming punts for the Indianapolis Colts since 2009 and has been named to two Pro Bowls — including this season, in which he had the best year of his career in terms of yards per punt (49.3).

But McAfee, a rare player whom NFL fans may know better for his personality than his abilities, saw an opportunity to make people laugh at media outlet Barstool Sports and jumped at it.

“I just started asking myself while I was driving to work if there was more to life than kicking footballs every day,” McAfee told the Indianapolis Star.

After eight seasons and two surgeries — with a third coming and “more surgeries certain for the future” — McAfee decided it was time.

His announcement came in two parts. First, he wrote a love letter to Indiana and Indianapolis, calling the latter a city with “the best humans on earth”.

He said the only thing dissuading him from joining the growing satirical outlet was the prospect of leaving Indiana and settling in its headquarters in New York. When Barstool Sports allowed him to work from Indianapolis, he was sold.

“I understand some people might be upset about the fact that I won’t be kicking balls on fourth downs for the Colts anymore, and I can understand that, but please know that I am very excited about the future, and the spotlight I will be able to place on Indianapolis,” wrote McAfee, a Pennsylvania native.

Then he gave a faux press conference for Barstool Sports, saying he wants to make “the world a happier place with more laughs”.

Breaking News: Pro Bowl Punter @PatMcAfeeShow has retired from the NFL to join @BarstoolSports Welcome aboard Pat! pic.twitter.com/E6kPt45TDi

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 2, 2017

McAfee has done stand-up comedy around Indianapolis and become a force on Twitter, boasting more than 680,000 followers. He’s been open and funny, from calling Skip Bayless a “douchebag” to accidentally sending out a naked picture of teammate Andrew Luck. Now, for the first time in eight seasons, the Colts need a new punter.

Pat was a terrific player and ambassador for us. He will be missed, and we wish him all the best!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) February 2, 2017

Originally published as No joke: Reason NFL star is walking away from millions