It’s been more than three weeks since the Jason Kelce sports media sweepstakes officially began and the former Philadelphia Eagles center is yet to find a new home.
But it isn’t for a lack of interest, with The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reporting that ESPN is “aggressively pursuing” Kelce for its Monday Night Football pregame show, Monday Night Countdown.
Should the Worldwide Leader land the 36-year-old Kelce, he would likely replace Robert Griffin III, who has been a part of the program since 2022. Marchand writes that the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner “had been viewed as a rising star at the network, but he has leveled off, putting him at serious risk of being out on Mondays.”
While the futures of Griffin and Larry Fitzgerald — whose contract has expired after appearing on Monday Night Countdown in a part-time capacity the past two seasons — are in question, host Scott Van Pelt, analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark and feature reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck are all slated to return in 2024. Landing Kelce would obviously provide a big boost to the show, as the former All-Pro center is considered the top media free agent of the NFL offseason.
As such, ESPN has no shortage of competition for his services.
In addition to the Disney-owned network, Marchand reports that NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime Video have all expressed interest in Kelce. In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl last month, the 36-year-old reportedly met with ESPN and Fox Sports while in Las Vegas.
CBS and NBC could be especially attractive to the Philadelphia-based Kelce, as their shows are based in nearby New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, respectively. Monday Night Countdown typically splits its schedule between ESPN’s Bristol headquarters and being on-site for Monday Night Football matchups.
It’s also worth noting that CBS’ The NFL Today pregame show currently finds its at a crossroads, with analysts Nate Burleson, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms all currently un-signed. Host James Brown signed a new two-year contract ahead of the Super Bowl, while JJ Watt is also expected to return to the show in 2024, although he could remain in a part-time role.
Suffice to say, there should be plenty of developments in the NFL media landscape in the weeks and months ahead, including Bill Belichick’s uncertain future in the industry. The biggest domino to fall, however, will be Kelce, whose negotiations now appear to be heating up.
