Photo: The Canadian Press
Jason Kelce was destined for a career in the media long before he partnered with his brother, Travis, to co-host a popular podcast.
It was evident early on after Andy Reid selected Kelce in the sixth round of the 2011 draft that his dynamic personality would play well on the other side of the microphone. Kelce became a go-to source for reporters throughout his 13-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He's insightful, eloquent and funny.
Kelce has the skills to succeed in television and he brings credibility to the studio where he’ll be part of ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” broadcast team.
The six-time All-Pro center might be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer and he has a chance to be an even better analyst.
Asked how his Eagles went from starting 10-1 last season to finishing 11-6 and getting blown out by Tampa Bay in a wild-card game, Kelce provided an astute explanation.
“First of all, whenever you lose that many games in a row, it’s never just one person or one area,” Kelce told The Associated Press. “It sounds pretty bad, but the same as when you’re winning at a high level, when you’re losing at a high level, every area is struggling, players, coaches, talent. I think we had a lot of talent last year but there were pieces that we were missing. I think the cohesion certainly wasn’t there like it was the year before. Obviously, we lost two coordinators, which it didn’t work out with the replacements."
The Eagles reached the Super Bowl after the 2022 season, losing 38-35 to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen left to coach Indianapolis. He was replaced by quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon departed to coach Arizona. Sean Desai took over and didn’t even last a full season before former Patriots DC Matt Patricia replaced him.
“I think Brian, Desai and Matt Patricia, all these guys are great coaches but for whatever reason. ... it didn’t really come together right,” Kelce continued. “On offense, when we struggled, we went to try and go simpler. I feel like you have one or two ways to go when you’re struggling. You either go simple and get back to your basics and your bread and butter. Or you go complex and you try and design your way out of these things and outsmart the opponent. On offense, we went simpler. On defense, we went the opposite way. We completely overhauled our defensive coordinator and system, and you kind of saw the downsides of both of those.
“Offensively, I think everybody would agree that we probably went too simple, and that got a little bit predictable and it could put us in situations that were probably harder to execute in. On defense, I think it created a little bit of hesitancy and guys just not really being able to play fast and aggressive because they’re unsure. I think that players didn’t execute at the level that we did the year before, me included. It’s always kind of a little bit of everything. And, I feel good about where they’re at now. I really do."
Kelce has spent plenty of time around his former teammates at the Eagles' practice facility throughout the offseason and training camp. The 36-year-old was still playing at an elite level when he walked away from the game. He earned his seventh Pro Bowl berth last season and was a first-team AP All-Pro for the third straight year.
But forget about Kelce pulling a Brett Favre or Tom Brady and coming out of retirement. He’s already down from his playing weight of 295 pounds to 275 and aims to get to 260.
“They’re not going to call me to come back and play center at 260 pounds, and I’m moving on to the next thing and I’m excited to watch Cam (Jurgens),” Kelce said of his replacement. “I really think Cam is going to be tremendous this year. He’s going to really show people how great of a player he is. He was good for us last year at right guard and he’s going to flourish at center. And for me personally, my days of playing are just done and I do not foresee any scenario taking place other than maybe medicine inventing a way to get rid of arthritis that I would ever entertain coming back at all anymore.”
Kelce has enough to keep him busy with the TV gig, the “New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce” podcast plus a wife and three young daughters. Then there’s the occasional trip to see superstar Taylor Swift — Travis’ girlfriend — perform in concert. And, all those endorsem*nt opportunities that come his way.
Kelce especially enjoyed partnering up with General Mills to create the Kelce Mix Cereal, which combines Jason and Travis’ top three favorite cereals — Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, and Reese’s Puffs — into one bowl.
“These are cereals that my brother and I grew up eating and we love them,” Kelce said. “They’re nostalgic brands and a part of our childhood. I think that now that we’ve built the Kelce (Mix Cereal) involving three of our favorites, it’s kind of like everything coming full circle a little bit. It’s a unique cereal. When we were first approached about it, I didn’t know how those three cereals were going to actually blend together, like it’s an odd combination. But I gotta be honest. It tastes really freaking good.”
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