Everyone wants a piece of Jason Kelce’s growing fame.
The recently retired Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman is being pursued by multiple TV and streaming networks, according to The Athletic. While Travis Kelce is the biggest name among the Kelce brothers — mostly because he’s dating international pop music superstar Taylor Swift — Jason has become a hot property post-retirement.
ESPN, NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime all reportedly have interest in securing Kelce, who’s a media free agent outside of his popular New Heights podcast with Travis. ESPN is the network that has seriously zeroed in on Jason, hoping to make the longtime center a focus of the ‘Monday Night Football’ pregame ‘Countdown’ show.
Once known as the worldwide leader in sports programming, the network is undergoing massive changes in the streaming era. Robert Griffin III could be on the outs, while ESPN is trying to pry Jason away from other big-name media competitors. Bill Belichick and Larry Fitzgerald are also being weighed as possible options by ESPN, but Fitzgerald also could be on the outs, while Belichick hasn’t committed to anyone after parting ways with the New England Patriots.
“Full-timers Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark are expected to return on ‘Countdown,’ alongside (Scott) Van Pelt,” The Athletic reported. “Michelle Beisner-Buck will remain the feature reporter.” Suzy Kolber and Steve Young had already been moved out of ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ team.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman hold the main spots for the well-known MNF show, which has fallen off in recent years but still holds name power among NFL fans. The popular ManningCast has helped ‘Monday Night Fooball’ modernize and reach a new audience. Jason was a fan favorite for more than a decade with the Eagles.
But it’s clear that he can remain connected with the NFL if he wants to. All he has to do is choose his first TV network or streaming platform for an even larger media spotlight. “Hall of Famer and I’m sure Jason Kelce would do well on a pregame (TV) show,” one fan tweeted in early March.
