Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is playing his 14th NFL season this year, and few expect him to keep playing much longer. But it sounds like the future Hall of Famer has already been planning for his next career.
According to one prominent NFL voice, Kelce reached out to Amazon last year about the lead analyst job on Thursday Night Football, even though Kirk Herbstreit was still under contract. And he could soon be at the center of a bidding war between multiple networks.
Kelce’s Broadcasting Future
Kelce weighed retirement last offseason before deciding to return to the Chiefs for another year. Whenever he does hang up his cleats, a move to the broadcast booth has long been expected.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported in January that Kelce is far more interested in calling games than working in a studio, that he’ll only consider a No. 1 job, and that he’s looking for somewhere between $10 million and $20 million per year.
Kelce already has strong ties to Amazon, which struck a lucrative deal for the New Heights podcast he hosts with his brother, Jason. He also hosted Prime Video’s reboot of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Meanwhile, Jason has become a fixture at ESPN and was recently elevated to the network’s No. 2 NFL booth.
Troy Aikman even pitched Kelce on joining ESPN during an appearance on New Heights in April, and Kelce admitted that he’d have a blast working there.
‘He’s going to be the one they all want’
Speaking on Pardon My Take, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio revealed that Kelce, along with Fox analyst Greg Olsen, has already been exploring his options.
“Last year, Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen were inquiring with Amazon about whether or not the Prime Video spot would be available next year,” Florio said, via Awful Announcing. “And Kirk Herbstreit was still under contract. So, Kelce was looking at this last year. He’s already got the relationship with Amazon with New Heights, but his brother’s already got the relationship in place with ESPN. And he’s going to be the one. He’s going to be the one they all want.”
Florio made the comments while answering a question from Barstool’s Dan “Big Cat” Katz about who will be in the Monday Night Football booth alongside Joe Buck next season. His pick was Kelce, not Olsen, who is widely considered the frontrunner to replace Aikman.
Florio also believes that as many as three networks could be in the market for a new lead analyst next year.
“And as it stands, CBS is going to be looking, ESPN is going to be looking, and Prime Video did that extension with [Kirk] Herbstreit that basically has a clause that says ‘If we find anyone better, we can tear up your contract,'” Florio said. “So, there could be a three-way bidding war for Travis Kelce, and I think they’re all going to want him, and I think he’s going to be in a booth somewhere next year.”
CBS recently parted ways with Tony Romo, while Aikman has said he expects ESPN to go in a different direction. And Amazon’s new deal with Herbstreit reportedly allows the streamer to replace him if one of its top targets becomes available.
Needless to say, Kelce could have his pick of the litter once his playing days are over.
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