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Jason Kelce isn’t going to give his brother, Travis Kelce, any trouble while working his new commentator role for ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown. Well, maybe some trouble.
During the latest episode of their “New Heights” podcast, Travis, 34, asked Jason, 36, if he should expect to hear some jabs from his brother. “Are you going to be harder on me than anyone else?” Travis wondered. “Are you going to be more open to f—king s—tting on me, because it’s me?”
Jason reassured Travis that wouldn’t be the case, noting, “No, I wouldn’t do that to you. If you drop a pass, I’m not going to go out of my way to do that.”
That doesn’t mean Travis is totally in the clear, however. Jason warned him that if he does a “silly” endzone dance, he can definitely expect some teasing.
Gushing about his post-retirement gig, Jason added it’s an honor to be involved with such a notable group of analysts. “Especially when we were growing up, this was the night that everyone thought of with football,” he said. “Now, I’m going to be on there with some incredibly talented people … all these guys offer not just great expertise but wonderful personalities. It’s going to be a good time.”
Jason’s name has been linked to ESPN since a March 27 report by The Athletic revealed the network was hot on his tails. At the time, it was reported that he was also being courted by CBS, NBC and Prime Video, the last of which is the home of Thursday Night Football. ESPN officially announced Jason’s multiyear deal on Tuesday, May 14, with the former center replacing fellow NFL alum Robert Griffin III on Monday Night Countdown.
The athlete, who announced his retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier in March after 13 seasons, has been in prep mode for his transition into the world of sports commentary. Alongside 25 current and former players, Jason attended the NFL’s Broadcasting and Media Workshop, a three-day program in which players practiced calling games on radio and television, as well as spending time learning the ropes of being a studio analyst.
“This is all new territory for me. I have even more respect for it now,” Jason told the Associated Press about the experience. “It’s very hard to do something live, reactive of stimulus that just happened and having something clever and meaningful to say.”
While Jason soaked in everything he could from the workshop, he admitted there was one difficult aspect that stood out: remembering players’ names.
“It’s a lot easier when you’re sitting on the couch or have heard the name over and over,” Jason said. “Certainly some of the names are difficult to remember on the spot.”
Jason will make his Monday Night Football debut on September 9 when the San Francisco 49ers play the New York Jets.