Cleveland natives and NFL players Travis, right, and Jason Kelce celebrate after the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
ESPNNFLBy Sean Keeley on

No one associated with the Philadelphia Eagles got more screentime Friday night during their game against the Green Bay Packers than a guy who retired during the offseason.

There’s no doubt that Jason Kelce and his brother Travis have taken the sports media world by storm in recent years as both their Q ratings have gone through the roof. Their wildly successful podcast just clocked a $100 million+ deal with Amazon’s Wondery for even bigger distribution. Jason is about to begin his first NFL season working for ESPN where some people think he could become the NFL’s Charles Barkley.

Meanwhile, Travis and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs just begun another season in which they’ll be the top draw. Oh, and he’s still dating the biggest pop star in the world (who it appears will continue attending many of their games) and is about to embark on an entertainment career in films, TV shows, and game shows.

He’s going to be in plenty of commercials as well.

Travis (and Taylor) were front and center Thursday night when the Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens to kick off the 2024 season. Discussions about his new hairstyle were just as common as discussions about his play on the field. On Friday night, Jason was everywhere during Peacock’s broadcast thanks to what felt like an absurd amount of commercial appearances.

The 2024 NFL season is just two games deep but it already feels like the Kelce brothers are getting dangerously close to their exposure tipping point. All massive celebrities eventually do. No matter how beloved or appreciated people of their stature get, there is always eventually a moment where they cross over from being “delightful” to “incessant.”

At that point, what used to be charming is now annoying. What once made people smile now makes them groan. While fans used to think their favorite celebrity walked on water, now they simply wish they’d walk away.

All the signs are there that Jason and Travis are approaching this event horizon. It doesn’t mean everyone will suddenly turn on them, but it seems pretty likely that by the time Super Bowl LIX gets here, a large contingent of Americans are going to want a break from these gregarious brothers.

Given how many Kelce commercials NFL viewers had to watch Friday (and are probably going to watch on Sunday), can you imagine how tired of him they’ll be by January? NFL viewers have revolted over less.

As for Travis, he’s attempting to pull off a maneuver that few professional athletes can navigate without some kind of drama. While dealing with the stress of whether or not the Chiefs can pull off the threepeat, he’s also going to have to navigate the stress of being in the most-discussed relationship in America, all while also maneuvering the stress of juggling his many entertainment projects and the critical responses to them. All it will take is one problem (rumors about his relationship, Chiefs struggles, an injury, poor reviews) and things could snowball pretty fast.

Altogether, it’s a recipe for overexposure disaster.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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