Kelce will appear on ‘Monday Night Countdown’ every week leading into games throughout the regular season and the first two rounds of the NFL playoffs.
Kelce reportedly had suitors from several television networks after his retirement from the NFL in March after 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles.
‘Turns out, it was a short retirement!’ Kelce said via press release. ‘I’m excited to join ESPN, and particularly the Monday Night Countdown team. ESPN was a consistent presence in our household growing up and the network helped shape who I am and my love of all sports.’
‘To now appear on that same screen is a full circle moment. And, I mean it’s freaking Monday Night Football! and I’m ready for some football,’ Kelce continued.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football in-studio crew is rounded out by Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, and Marcus Spears. Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III is no longer with the MNF crew.
‘Jason is a highly respected, Super Bowl Champion with a strong connection to fans,’ said Burke Magnus, ESPN President of Content, said via press release.
‘Walking off the field and immediately to ESPN, viewers will benefit from his perspective which has been shaped through his years as an established locker room leader and a future Hall of Fame center. Jason’s addition to Monday Night Countdown will greatly strengthen our NFL coverage,’ Magnus continued.
The celebrity surrounding Kelce has skyrocketed over the last two years. First, as a featured storyline alongside younger brother Travis Kelce heading into an Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl matchup.
The Kelce brothers’ podcast, ‘New Heights’, has also been incredibly successful, with 2.4million subscribers on YouTube.
Since September, everything Kelce has gone into a different orbit since Travis’ public romance with 14-time Grammy Award-winner Taylor Swift began.
Kelce will also be part of the network’s Super Bowl coverage every year, including the 2027 edition, which will air on ESPN and ABC.
Kelce won the Super Bowl in 2018 with the Eagles and was a sixth-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by Philadelphia.
The 36-year-old Kelce became known as a focal point of the Eagles offense, especially during the ‘Brotherly Shove’ or ‘Tush Push’ run play that resembled a rugby-style scrum.