The driving force behind Dan Patrick’s decision to retire at the end of his current contract is his desire to hang it up while he’s still great.

It’s been nearly three years since Patrick began the longest retirement tour in sports radio history. And since that announcement, Patrick has maintained he will retire at the conclusion of his current contract in early 2028, following Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta.

Tuesday morning, Nick Wright joined The Dan Patrick Show and noted LeBron James recently talking about his love of the process, explaining he’ll know when it’s time to retire when he no longer loves showing up to the arena five hours before a game or three hours before practice. The comment from James prompted Wright to ask whether Patrick has held onto his radio show for so long because he loves that process more than any other media job he’s had.

“I like the grind. I like the daily,” Patrick admitted. “I come in on Saturday and Sunday when we’re not even on the air. I like starting something, ‘What are we going to do with it? Who are we going to have on? What are the topics?’ And then you go home, and then you start thinking about it again. That every day is what always attracted me.”

Patrick noted that he would never be able to serve as a seasonal broadcaster. Which means when his current contract is up in early 2028, don’t expect Patrick to accept a part-time deal. If he’s going to have a show, it needs to be every single day. And Patrick wants to make sure he retires before he falls out of love with the grind and the daily grind.

“My biggest fear is to not be great at the very end,” Patrick said. “If anything, we’re more aggressive with these last two years than I’ve ever been with this show of what we’re doing, where we’re going, and I said I want to go out that way. I want to make sure that nobody thinks you’re just kind of showing up. That would be the ultimate criticism. That it doesn’t feel like you care as much.

“I probably care more and more. If it doesn’t show on me, then it doesn’t trickle down to The Danettes, where they need to know I’m excited. They need to know I’m happy about something, aggressive. I told them, the last two years, ‘It must be fun.’ We must have fun. That’s all I ask them to do.”

Patrick knows he’s going to retire after Super Bowl LXII in early 2028. The challenge will be convincing himself that it’s time to retire when he retires. Because for Patrick to retire while he’s still great, he needs to do it before he’s actually ready to stop the grind of a daily radio show. And he’s not going to get much outside help, because his listeners will still be rooting for Patrick to break his vow to retire.

The post Dan Patrick: ‘My biggest fear is to not be great at the very end’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Shedeur Sanders’ generosity helped turn a high schooler’s prom date into a more memorable one. The NFL star and Cleveland Browns quarterback lent Bedford High School senior Marvin Thomas his $200,000 Maybach on Saturday.

Sanders posted a picture of Thomas with his date on his Instagram story. It showed Thomas in a green suit flexing his watch, while his date showed off her corsage.

MORE: Should the Cleveland Browns trade Shedeur Sanders?

Aria Singletary, the celebrity assistant of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his mom, Gloria, is Thomas’ mother. She posted a video of her son inside the car, along with some snaps from prom.

“Special thank you to Shedeur Sanders for allowing our son and his beautiful date Lamaya to use your beautiful Maybach for prom night. Your generosity, kindness, and support helped create an unforgettable experience and a memory he’ll cherish forever. We truly appreciate you for making his night so special. 🖤,” Singletary wrote.

Shedeur Sanders will battle for Browns’ QB1 job

Sanders started Cleveland’s last seven games last season, going 3-4. However, with Deshaun Watson returning from injury, the team may not favor him to be its starter in Week 1.

The former Colorado Buffaloes star is expected to compete for the QB1 job in training camp. He will battle Watson, Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green.

Experts projected Sanders to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft but slid into the fifth round at No. 144. He started the campaign as the QB3 behind Joe Flacco and Gabriel. However, he somehow found his way to the starting role. The Cincinnati Bengals traded Flacco on Oct. 7, and Gabriel suffered a concussion during Week 11.

It remains to be seen who the Browns will choose as their long-term starter. They have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the NFL, and training camp is expected to be competitive.