Cooper Neill/AP
ESPN is eyeing newly-retired NFL center Jason Kelce to add to its Monday Night Football coverage, The Athletic reported Wednesday.
Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the last few seasons, his show New Heights — which he does with his brother Travis Kelce — has become one of the most popular sports podcasts in the industry. This past season, he also made a guest appearance on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football coverage while the Eagles were on a bye week.
Other networks have taken note of his extensive media experience, with NBC, CBS and Amazon all showing interest in bringing him in.
ESPN’s current Monday Night Football consists of Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, Robert Griffin III, Marcus Spears, Adam Schefter, and Michelle Beisner-Buck. Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and Alex Smith also appeared throughout the season in a part-time capacity.
According to The Athletic, Griffin could be the odd man out if Kelce joins ESPN. Fitzgerald’s spot is also reportedly “in limbo,” so that’s another avenue the network is considering.
Spears, Van Pelt, Clark, and Beisner-Buck will all return next season. Fitzgerald has not been renewed after his contract ended in February, and Griffin has “leveled off” after previously being thought of as one of ESPN’s “rising stars.”
Though Kelce hasn’t explicitly said he’ll pivot to media full-time after his playing career, he has expressed how much fun he had doing previous guest appearances. If there’s a fit somewhere in the industry, one of these networks could land one of the biggest NFL media free agents on the market.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com