ESPN has tinkered with its “Monday Night Football” programming consistently over the last decade, but the last couple of seasons saw it undergo seismic shifts.
Play-by-play man Joe Buck and analyst Troy Aikman were lured away from Fox to serve as the “Monday Night Football” booth. Peyton and Eli Manning introduced their alternate “Manningcast” in 2021, and it became a smash hit.
Last season, veteran MNF pregame host Suzy Kolber was replaced by Scott Van Pelt after a series of ESPN layoffs in June ahead of the season. Steve Young — a staple of the program — was also let go, which allowed Robert Griffin III, Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark to headline the talent for the program.
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Now, ESPN appears to be looking at another shake-up of its pregame show lineup. The network’s target? Former Eagles center Jason Kelce.
ESPN is “aggressively pursuing” Kelce to fill one of its analyst roles on “Monday Night Countdown,” per The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
Kelce retired from the NFL during the 2024 offseason after 13 seasons with the Eagles but is viewed as a potential star NFL TV analyst thanks to his combination of charisma, NFL knowledge and media experience.
He already hosts the popular “New Heights” broadcast with his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and performed well as a guest analyst on Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football” during Week 10’s Bears-Panthers game.
That’s why ESPN isn’t alone in its pursuit of Kelce. NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime are all targeting the 36-year-old for roles in their NFL coverage, per Marchand.
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ESPN’s plan would likely involve signing Kelce to replace Griffin on the “MNF” pregame show. Griffin was “viewed as a rising star at the network, but he has leveled off, putting him at serious risk of being out on Mondays,” per Marchand.
The other networks have openings as well. CBS notably has yet to sign any of Nate Burleson, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms to continue their roles on “The NFL Today” next season. That, and CBS’ New York-based location, might make them an intriguing fit for Kelce.
Amazon Prime could compete for him as well. As mentioned, he appeared on the streaming giant’s Week 10 “Thursday Night Football” broadcast and the network also produced a documentary about his 2022 season.
It isn’t yet clear which network has the advantage in the Kelce sweepstakes or if the future Hall of Famer will join the TV ranks this season.
But if Kelce wants to stay around the game — something he intimated was likely in a 45-minute statement read at his retirement news conference — there will be opportunities for him to do so by furthering his broadcast career.
