Retired Philadelphia Eagles Star Jason Kelce is headed to “Monday Night Countdown” on ESPN as CBS announces a shakeup in its “NFL Today” crew.
The host of the hugely successful “New Heights” podcast –– which he cohosts with brother Kansas City Chief’s star Travis Kelce — will officially start his TV broadcast career alongside hosts like Scott Van Pelt, Robert Griffin III, and Larry Fitzgerald of the popular pregame show beginning with the 2024 NFL season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Kelce was one of many current and former NFL players who participated in last year’s NFL broadcast boot camp, the outlet noted. During the camp, the league teaches players all about broadcasting and Kelce was seen as a star performer.
Exactly where Kelce would land has been a hot topic during the offseason following his announcement in March that he was walking away from the league after 13 years.
Multiple networks were reportedly pursuing him due to the popularity of the Kelce brothers’ podcast, which was launched in September 2022, Forbes noted.
Jason Kelce has signed a deal with ESPN to become the newest addition to the Monday Night Football pregame broadcast crew, per @AndrewMarchand.
Congrats Jason! 🦅 pic.twitter.com/jXMNbUoJMp
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) April 29, 2024
The changes over at ESPN come after CBS announced that two of the longtime hosts of “The NFL Today,” retired NFL players Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason, were leaving the show, per The Hollywood Reporter. The network announced that the former NFL MVP QB Matt Ryan will move to the pregame desk alongside Bill Cowher, JJ Watt, James Brown, and Nate Burleson for the upcoming season.
“Matt had an outstanding first year at CBS Sports, excelling as both a studio and game analyst,” CBS Sports president and CEO David Berson said in a statement.
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“He is the consummate team player and a Hall of Fame person,” the statement added. “We love the chemistry he has with the studio crew, and we’re excited to see him entertain NFL fans and share his passion, insight and perspective alongside JB, Nate, Coach and JJ.”
“Phil and Boomer set the standard of excellence for NFL analysts,” Berson continued. “We are so grateful for their immeasurable contributions to CBS Sports. We genuinely thank them for being incredible teammates and for their passion, dedication and commitment to elevating CBS Sports’ NFL coverage every season.”
Simms joined CBS in 1998 and was the lead game analyst until he moved to the studio in 2017, while Esiason was on “The NFL Today” for 22 years, the outlet noted. Both their CBS contracts expired after the Super Bowl in February, the Associated Press noted.
“Great 26 yrs run with CBS SPORTS,” Simms captioned his post on social media. “Even though that part of my career is over I look forward to what is next.”
Related: Jason Kelce Being Pursued To Be Part Of ‘Monday Night Football’ Crew: Report
