Jason Kelce said he would consider an Eagles return, but in a much different role: minority owner.
During the latest installment of his and brother Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, the future Hall of Fame center — who announced his retirement after 13 seasons in Philadelphia in March — explained what would make him walk away from his new broadcast deal with ESPN.
“Listen, I’ll back out the the TV deal right now if you tell me I could own the Philadelphia Eagles,” Jason said, laughing.
“What? No way!” Travis said, to which Jason replied, “Come on, are you kidding me? To be an owner? That’s like another level.”
The conversation began when Jason brought up a report by Bloomberg last week that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is exploring a minority sale stake in the team.
The brothers joked that they probably wouldn’t be able to afford a minority stake in an NFL team, and Travis said he would rather try to buy a minority stake in the Chiefs if the opportunity presented itself after his playing career.
“Can we get in on this? What do I have to do?” Jason continued, referring to the process of becoming a potential minority owner in an NFL team.
Travis chimed in and told his big brother to “stop trying to tie me into this” because he has different plans for his post-playing career.
“Yes, [I would turn down an opportunity to become an owner], because I want to broadcast when I’m done playing,” Travis said before doubling down it. “… I want to do that. I want to be the talking head that calls the games.”
Jason — a seven-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro and a 2018 Super Bowl champ — agreed to a multi-year deal with ESPN in May.
He will appear on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” and the “Monday Night Football” halftime show every week during the regular season and will also appear on ESPN’s playoff games and Super Bowl coverage for Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles in 2027.
A week after Jason joined ESPN, Travis, who’s entering his 12th NFL season in 2024, agreed to a contract extension with the Chiefs that will make him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end.
The deal is a two-year tack-on to his current deal for $34.25 million, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
However, the Kelce brothers are in the beer business together.
Travis and Jason are the largest investors in the independent light beer, Garage Beer, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
It marks the first time the pair are significant owners and operators in a business together.
