Chuck Pagano is going back to the NFL as the secondary coach for the Baltimore Ravens.
But the former Indianapolis Colts head coach had some unfinished business on The Pat McAfee Show before he could fully launch back into the football grind.
In an emotional farewell Wednesday, Pagano described how meaningful it has been to reunite with his former punter and the Thunderdome crew over the past five years in a recurring role on PMS.
“This has been a life game-changer for me, being on this (show),” Pagano told McAfee. “The olive branch that you’ve extended me … I am so grateful.”
Pagano coached McAfee and PMS panelist Darius Butler in Indianapolis from 2012-17, guiding the Colts to the AFC Championship game in 2014. Most recently, he was defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 2019-20 before he began to appear on PMS on a weekly basis.
Now, Pagano reunites with head coach John Harbaugh in Baltimore after more than a decade. In the years since, Pagano not only got a chance as a head coach but also beat leukemia in his first year with the Colts.
“I’ve never taken any day for granted, any opportunity that I’ve had,” Pagano said. “But walking out of that hospital, the doc coming in and saying, ‘you’re in remission, you can go home’ … it just gave me greater appreciation and greater perspective.”
While there are plenty of shenanigans to go around on PMS, you can’t argue that McAfee puts his friends in position to shine. The 64-year-old Pagano got to loosen up, interview many of his colleagues around the NFL, and show off his high-level football knowledge all in one place.
It sounds as if it was the perfect pit stop for him between NFL jobs.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.