Travis Kelce thinks he’d have a ‘blast’ working at ESPN

Whenever Travis Kelce decides to stop playing football, he’ll have no shortage of suitors for his services as an NFL analyst.

Kelce is returning to the Kansas City Chiefs for his 14th season with the team. Still, networks are already gearing up to make their pitch when he retires, with estimates forecasting he could command upwards of $15 million per year as a studio personality.

ESPN won the Jason Kelce sweepstakes several years ago, although it’s fair to wonder whether they’ve fully capitalized on making him one of their highest-paid NFL analysts. But during Troy Aikman’s recent appearance on the New Heights podcast, he praised Kelce as a colleague at the Worldwide Leader before mildly recruiting Travis Kelce to join them.

“I don’t know, man,” Travis Kelce responded to Aikman. “ESPN’s a very polished organization. I don’t know if I…I’m just kidding, man! I’d have a f***ing blast, dude!”

Aikman attempted to ease any of Kelce’s concerns about working for a sports brand owned by Disney, insisting ESPN isn’t that polished.

“Considering Jason’s first time on-air, he’s screaming ‘tits,’ yeah,” Kelce said to echo Aikman’s belief that ESPN might not be as buttoned-up as they’re perceived. “And he still has a job.”

The biggest thing standing in the way of getting Travis Kelce to ESPN might not be money or their “polished” reputation; it might be Aikman. Kelce has already made it clear he’s more interested in calling games from the booth than he is in analyzing them from the studio. And with ESPN’s Monday Night Football booth seemingly occupied for the foreseeable future by Aikman and Joe Buck, there’s not really a need to pay another game analyst north of $15 million per year.

Maybe Kelce, who turns 37 later this year, will prioritize working with his brother. Maybe he’ll prioritize the most money, or maybe he’ll prioritize the best fit for what he wants to do as an entertainer. And if entertainment is his priority, the possibility remains that Kelce might have his sights set on something bigger than what ESPN or even the NFL can offer. Considering the global fame and recognition he’s gained since partnering with Taylor Swift, Kelce might ultimately be too famous to land a job that limits him to talking about football.