Former Philadelphia Eagles star reportedly joining ESPN

Recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is starting his next career.

On Monday, The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported Kelce will join ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown" after multiple networks (CBS and NBC) pursued the 36-year-old.

Marchand previously noted former QB and analyst Robert Griffin III probably wouldn't return to "Monday Night Football's" pre-game show, so Kelce may replace him. Meanwhile, host Scott Van Pelt and analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark are expected to return.

ESPN is rebooting its NFL coverage. Along with Kelce, former New England Patriots head coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick has joined the worldwide leader in sports.  

The timing of the announcement is notable. ESPN's upfronts — when television networks try to sell their programming so advertisers will buy more airtime for commercials — are two weeks away, per Marchand. The network may use Kelce's name to attract more advertisers.

Kelce—who made seven Pro Bowls in 13 seasons with the Eagles—is not only a future Hall of Famer but has already become a well-known sports media personality. He hosts a weekly podcast, "New Heights," with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis. It has 2.38M subscribers on YouTube and is the No. 2 sports podcast on Spotify.  

On September 12, 2023, Amazon Prime Video released "Kelce," a documentary that chronicled his 2022 season with the Eagles and whether he would retire. According to Katie Campione of Deadline, it became the streaming service's most-watched documentary in the United States. 

Alex Sherman of CNBC reported ESPN's domestic and international revenue only grew by one percent in 2023. To reignite growth, the sports media giant must land more advertisers, and it appears adding Kelce is a big part of that plan.