After playing coy about his retirement plans for years, Jason Kelce is taking the same approach when it comes to his “next phase” at ESPN.
During the Wednesday, May 1, episode of his “New Heights” podcast with brother Travis Kelce, the newly retired athlete, 36, addressed rumors about his next gig. “Nothing’s been officially inked yet or announced yet,” Jason explained. “But obviously there’s been a lot of reports out there about me going to ESPN and I think time will kind of take care of that.”
Jason emphasized that it was “a tremendous honor to even be considered to potentially work” at a network that meant so much to him and Travis, 34, growing up. “[It] fueled our love for sports,” Travis added, calling it a “full circle” moment for his brother. “I’m happy as hell for you.”
Despite widespread reports, Jason wouldn’t officially confirm his upcoming role. “The fact that I may potentially, probably will be working there is pretty darn cool, man,” he said, noting that he did his “due diligence” about his next steps after retirement. “Meeting and talking to everybody over at ESPN, it became apparent that it was really the right fit. At the end of the day, it’s something that I’m really, really looking forward to it, this next phase. … I know to some degree who I’m working with and I think very, very highly of them. I’m excited to learn.”
Jason announced in March that he was officially retiring from the NFL after 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles. Later that month, Us Weekly confirmed that Jason was being courted to cohost Monday Night Football‘s pregame show. The Athletic reported at the time that CBS, NBC and Prime Video, which airs Thursday Night Football, were interested in offering Jason a gig.
News broke on Monday, April 29, that Jason landed a role at ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown.
When Jason confirmed his retirement earlier this year, his family — including Travis and wife Kylie Kelce — were there to support his decision. Travis was overwhelmed with emotion during the press conference, tearing up as Jason gave his speech.
“You’ve always been a step ahead of me in this game … it’s always been like I’ve had that flotation device right there and to have you out of it, it feels empty,” Travis later told his brother during an episode of “New Heights” in March. “And it feels like it’s complete. It was a success. … It was a fun ass journey to watch.”
Travis continued to praise Jason on Wednesday’s episode following his new contract negotiations. He signed a two-year extension with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday worth $34.25 million. The deal guarantees him $17 million this year alone, making Travis the highest-paid tight end in the NFL.
“This is just following in your footsteps again,” Travis told Jason, who was once the highest-paid center in the league.
