Report: Dan Patrick, ESPN Have Talked

A spokesperson for ESPN confirmed to Sporting News Sunday that it has talked with Dan Patrick, whose dual contracts with NBC Sports and AT&T SportsNet expire this month. But ESPN sources said a reunion with Patrick is unlikely to happen..

"We had conversations with Dan and he has many fans in Bristol. But our radio lineup is strong and we aren't looking to make a change," spokesman Mike Soltys told Sporting News.

As the longtime host of NBC "Football Night in America," Patrick hosted the network's Super Bowl 52 five-hour pregame show from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He has his own weekday "Dan Patrick Show," which can be heard Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to noon ET.

Patrick left ESPN in 2007. Along with Robin Roberts, he's the most successful on-air talent to leave on his own terms. A Patrick comeback in Bristol would present several intriguing possibilities.

ESPN could re-team Patrick with his former "Big Show" partner Keith Olbermann on the 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter. After napalming his bridges with ESPN years ago, the peripatetic Olberman popped up again on ESPN shows recently. The 6 p.m. SportsCenter is in flux, with co-anchor Jemele Hill leaving Friday for The Undefeated after less than a year on the job and Michael Smith now hosting solo. The old 11 p.m. show co-hosted by Patrick and Olberman is still revered as the best SportsCenter pairing ever.