Jason Kelce has his first post-NFL job lined up.
The recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center earned seven Pro Bowl selections and one Super Bowl ring during his 13-year NFL career. Along the way, he became one of the faces of the Eagles and, along with his younger brother and “New Heights” podcast co-host, Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs star tight end who happens to be dating the superstar of the pop Taylor Swift, one of the most recognized names in the league.
Now Jason Kelce is making the move to television. The Times has learned that he will join the broadcast team for ESPN's “Monday Night Countdown,” the pregame show for the network's “Monday Night Football” broadcast.
ESPN, which has not yet announced the move, declined to comment. Athletic was the first to break the news.
Last season, “Monday Night Countdown” was hosted by SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt, who was joined by analysts Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears and Robert Griffin III.
Kelce was a walk-on linebacker at Cincinnati and a sixth-round pick for the Eagles in the 2011 draft. He made his first Pro Bowl in 2014 and his most recent last season.
Jason Kelce speaks during the Eagles' Super Bowl victory parade in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on February 8, 2019.
(Alex Brandon / Associated Press)
After the Eagles' victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, Kelce gained national attention at the team's parade by wearing a Mummers costume and shouting. a NSFW victory speech for the ages.
He might also be known as the wild and crazy guy who went shirtless and drank beers in the same VIP suite as Swift during the AFC championship game earlier this year or who jumped into the ring with his former teammate from the Eagles, Lane Johnson, at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia previously. this month.
However, Kelce has also shown a more realistic side, such as when he told Travis, “You crossed the line,” for losing his cool with Chiefs coach Andy Reid on the sideline during Super Bowl LVIII in February.
“I don't try to be something I'm not and I think the fans, especially in Philadelphia, appreciate that. I think it's a very 'real' relationship,” Kelce said in 2023. “I just try to be as myself as possible, not trying to have a big head or anything like that because I certainly don't have one. and really interact with fans in the most real way possible. I think they reciprocate that.”
