Pat McAfee says he wants to interview Roger Goodell

During his nascent career as a talk show host and interviewer, former NFL punter Pat McAfee has landed plenty of big interviews, such as his many news-making discussions with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But there’s a big fish he has yet to land.

McAfee would love to sit down and speak with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on topics far and wide, he told Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina on the “SI Media Podcast.” And the former player wants to discuss a lot more than just football.

“So I’ve have questions, obviously, about some of the decisions that he has made that I feel we’re terrible. But I also have a lot of questions about like, how did we get to all these spots? What’s next? Was there any drawback from any owners on any of the decisions that you’ve made that have ended up working out? And did you dunk on their face in the one-per-club meetings? All that type of stuff, I’m very intrigued by,” McAfee said.

Goodell is an easy target as the current NFL commissioner, but McAfee explained how it’s the legacy the league’s chief executive has built that intrigues him.

“His legacy is one that brought the NFL to be the most dominant league in the history of any league, especially in a time where it seems like interest and attention spans are lowering. Their watch-log time and viewers and hours logged and interest year round is just more than it’s ever been,” McAfee said.

On top of the place that Goodell has taken the league too, he’s dealt with some of the biggest controversies.

Issues and scandals that arose during Goodell’s tenure include: Spygate, Deflategate, the New Orleans Saints bounty program, replacement refs, the concussion settlement, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, gambling suspensions and the mass of allegations surrounding the Washington Commanders and the team culture under owners Dan and Tanya Snyder, among others.

McAfee would love to dig into how Goodell navigated the NFL through those moments to not only stability, but to a preeminent place in American sports. He’s optimistic that someday he will get to have his wish fulfilled and put Goodell in the opposite seat.

“Because he’s the guy who has been guiding through the most treacherous times, but also most profitable times. So that’s certainly a human I would enjoy kind of having a conversation with, and I think it’ll happen someday,” McAfee said.