Jason Kelce’s captivating personality won’t stay away from football after retiring from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason; instead, it’ll head into the world of broadcasting as he signed with ESPN to join “Monday Night Countdown,” their pre-game show before “Monday Night Football.” The Athletic broke the news earlier.
With Kelce’s retirement from football sparking speculation about his future, multiple TV partners looking to work with NFL players found out that broadcasting intrigued him prior to his departure from playing professionally. In fact, last year, he attended the NFL’s Broadcast Boot Camp, a program created by the league designed for current and former athletes interested in transitioning into football commentary careers.
Kelce will now join fellow NFL players Larry Fitzgerald and Robert Griffin III as part of ESPN’s line-up. Van Pelt is also an experienced sports broadcaster who has been with ESPN since 2013, hosting “SportsCenter” and other shows on the network’s family of channels.
The Eagles center will be joining a team that already boasts some impressive talent in its broadcasting ranks. Buck and Aikman call NFL games every week during their prime-time slot while Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Charles Barkley provide alternative commentary on the “ManningCast” for select matches throughout the season.
Kelce’s charisma in front of a camera has been evident over recent years; he appeared as a guest analyst during multiple TV broadcasts while still playing football, including Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” last year when his team had its bye week. He also co-hosts the “New Heights” podcast with younger brother Travis Kelce (a star player for the Kansas City Chiefs), which has become a massive hit in sports podcasting circles.
Although he won’t be wearing pads anymore, Kelce will still make regular appearances at NFL stadiums around the country as part of his new role on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown.”
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