By Zac Wassink | Last updated 3/28/24
It was reported on Wednesday that ESPN is “aggressively pursuing” retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce for the network’s “Monday Night Football” coverage.
Dan Patrick first became a household name due to his work on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” program and thinks Kelce may want to pass on offers made by the four-letter network this spring.
“You don’t just come in and do “Monday Night Countdown,” Patrick said during Wednesday’s edition of his “The Dan Patrick Show” about how ESPN uses personalities, as shared by Robert O’Neill of Awful Announcing. “There’s so much more they’ll ask you to do…You go in and you’ll be on this show and this show and this show and this show. You’re at their demand. (“Monday Night Football” broadcaster) Troy Aikman has to do things with ‘the mothership’ where he didn’t have to do that with Fox.”
Patrick is right in that individuals who serve as “Monday Night Football” analysts also regularly appear on ESPN programs such as “Get Up,” “First Take,” “NFL Live” and “SportsCenter.” Such an opportunity may appeal to Kelce as he attempts to build upon what’s become a growing media empire, but Patrick sounds worried the seven-time Pro Bowl selection could suffer from overexposure.
“I don’t want it to be watered down that you’re hearing it three or four times over the course of the day,” Patrick continued. “If you go to ESPN, you have to really be geared up to, ‘I really like being on TV. I really like being on radio. I really like doing somebody’s podcast.'”
Patrick added that he thinks Kelce is “a unique voice right now” and should be featured in “one place.”
Not long after Kelce officially announced his retirement, it was reported that NBC, CBS and ESPN were pursuing him for their NFL-related programs. On Wednesday, media insider Andrew Marchand of The Athletic revealed that ESPN, NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime Video still “all have interest” in the 36-year-old.
It was previously suggested that Amazon could land Kelce and become the home of the “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce” podcast that reached an unexpected level of popularity last NFL season in part because of Travis Kelce’s relationship with entertainment superstar Taylor Swift.
If Jason Kelce ultimately agrees with Patrick, the Eagles icon could either look to sign a unique one-day-a-week-only deal with ESPN or simply come to terms on an agreement with one of the other NFL media partners looking to secure his services before preseason games start in August. For example, CBS has multiple openings for its “The NFL Today” studio show.
More must-reads:
- Report: ESPN ‘aggressively pursuing’ popular former player for ‘MNF”
- Kelce brother could spark major media bidding war?
- The ‘Rookie NFL QBs to throw a touchdown in the postseason’ quiz
