Dan Patrick gives Jason Kelce advice about ESPN broadcasting

ESPN is reportedly “aggressively pursuing” former center Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles for the network’s “Monday Night Football” coverage, according to a source on Wednesday.

Dan Patrick, whose work on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” show originally brought him national recognition, believes Kelce might choose to decline offers from the four-letter network this spring.

Regarding how ESPN utilizes celebrities, Patrick remarked, “You don’t just come in and do “Monday Night Countdown,” on Wednesday’s episode of his “The Dan Patrick Show,” as reported by Robert O’Neill of Horrible Announcing. “They’ll ask you to do so much more than that…You enter, and this show, this show, this show, and this show will feature you. They are in control of you. Troy Aikman, the broadcaster of “Monday Night Football,” must accomplish things with “the mothership” that he was not required to do with Fox.”

Patrick is correct when he says that those who work as “Monday Night Football” analysts frequently appear on ESPN shows like “SportsCenter,” “Get Up,” “First Take,” and “NFL Live.” As he looks to expand his expanding media empire, Kelce might find this kind of opportunity appealing, but Patrick seems concerned that the seven-time Pro Bowl pick would become overexposed.

“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 went on. You have to really be prepared to say, “I really like being on TV,” if you visit ESPN. I enjoy being on the radio a lot. I enjoy doing podcasts for other people a lot.”

Patrick went on to say that he believes Kelce has “a unique voice right now” and ought to be showcased “one place.”

It was announced shortly after Kelce made his official retirement announcement that NBC, CBS, and ESPN were interested in having him participate in their NFL-related shows. The 36-year-old is still “all have interest” in ESPN, NBC, CBS, and Amazon Prime Video, according to industry source Andrew Marchand of The Athletic on Wednesday.

It was previously mentioned that Travis Kelce’s association with entertainment icon Taylor Swift may have contributed to the “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce” podcast’s surprise rise in popularity during the previous NFL season. If Amazon were to acquire Kelce, the show would move to this new location.

If Jason Kelce ends up agreeing with Patrick, the Eagles legend may try to ink a special one-day-per-week contract with ESPN or perhaps reach an understanding with another NFL media partner in an attempt to lock up Patrick’s services prior to the start of the preseason in August. For instance, CBS’s studio program “The NFL Today” includes many openings.