Dan Patrick has been a predominant sports media figure for the last 43 years, and his retirement date looms.The 70-year-old announced a four-year contract extension with iHeartMedia, Fox Sports Radio and Peacock, in July 2023.Patrick’s legendary career has spanned 43 yearsGettyUpon inking his deal, he joked: “by January 2028, I will be on the Golden Bachelor,” – hinting that that would mark the end of his legendary career.However, with less than two years to go, Patrick’s decision was put into perspective when a caller asked what his wife, Susan, would say to him if she didn’t want him to retire.“I’ve had discussions about this, and she said, ‘Are you going to be happy? Are you going to be able to watch the show? Are you going to be able to find other things to do?’ Those are all concerns,” Patrick said. “Those are legitimate concerns that I have; [it’s an] ongoing discussion. She even talked to me on Saturday. “We were at Saratoga watching the horse racing, and she said, ‘Are you going to be able to retire?’” I said, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to do it successfully. I don’t know that.'”“She would say, and she has said, ‘I want you to be happy. Are you sure this will make you happy?’” Patrick added.“And part of the reason why I got to this point of this was going to be my last contract is I’m going to be close to being 72. “And maybe that doesn’t sound ancient, but in this business it is. And this is three hours every day, and it’s live. And I want to make sure I’m sharp.”Patrick’s infamous career began in 1983, working as a sports reporter for CNN where he covered MLB, NBA and the Winter Olympics.Patrick revealed he has ‘legitimate concerns’ over his post-retirement lifeGettyPatrick has worked for CNN, ESPN and NBC covering a wide range of sportsGettyHe would go on to join ESPN’s SportsCenter as an anchor in 1989, and just a year later ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ was born.He would work at the ‘worldwide leader in sports’ for 17 years, before announcing his departure in 2007.Patrick joined NBC Sports as a co-host of the third season of Football Night in America, a role he would hold until 2018.The move away gave Patrick total control of his show, alongside his crew of producers he often reffers to as ‘The Danettes’. His retirement date will come after the conclusion of Super Bowl LXII, that will be hosted at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.Additionally, he has previously admitted that his single greatest fear is letting his standard drop before ending his legendary tenure.Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, will host the Super Bowl in 2028AFP“My biggest fear is to not be great at the very end,” Patrick told Awful Announcing.“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.”Whether he ends up sticking to his date, or extends his time, Patrick’s mark on sports broadcasting is etched in stone.When the microphone goes quiet, the sports media world would have lost one of it’s true architects.