Pat McAfee’s absence from WWE Monday Night Raw has now stretched to five straight weeks, and there appears to be no clear end in sight. With Corey Graves continuing to step in alongside Michael Cole, speculation is growing around whether McAfee will resume his weekly commentary role any time soon.

During a recent broadcast of The Pat McAfee Show, the charismatic commentator shed some light on why he has been off WWE programming. He explained that he needed to step back to recover from an intense stretch of work that saw him transition straight from ESPN’s College GameDay into WWE’s hectic spring and early summer schedule. “Continuing to just kind of catch up on life as a whole,” McAfee said. “I was getting pretty exhausted there. So shoutout to everybody at the WWE looking out for me, too. Very, very thankful.”

Despite stepping away from Raw, McAfee is far from idle. This weekend, his show will go live from the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta as part of Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby events. Since Monday Night Raw takes place in Birmingham, Alabama, it is unlikely he will make the trip.

Fans familiar with McAfee’s schedule will recognize this pattern. In previous years, he has taken a step back from WWE during football season to prioritize his analyst duties for College GameDay. With the new college football season kicking off on August 30 in Columbus, Ohio, McAfee’s return to Raw could be delayed until early 2026.

In the meantime, Corey Graves has settled back into his old spot on commentary, and fan reaction online has largely been positive. Many have praised the chemistry between Graves and Cole and their more traditional approach to calling the action.

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