Before the evening was over, Kelce was a guest on ESPN’s live third quarter broadcast with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. His inclusion in the booth was a decision made just a few days ago. ESPN and Kelce spoke about the potential of commentating on games after he had that experience at the league’s broadcasting and media workshop in 2023.
After donning a real green suit, Kelce called out two “Brotherly Shoves” to analyze a game in which he played such a crucial role last year.
Kelce yelled “Let’s go” on the broadcast as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter on one of the team’s patented plays.
“I think I’ve gotten better over time,” Kelce said of his performance in the locker room. “You try to figure out where you fit in and what to say. Joe and Troy have been doing that for a long time. They’ve prepared me pretty well a few times.”
After being a staple on the Eagles’ offensive line for 13 seasons, Kelce is now moving to a new team and will play a prominent role on the show alongside host Scott Van Pelt and analysts Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears.
Van Pelt, a 34-year veteran of the sports broadcasting industry, is hosting ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown for the second time. Clark and Spears, both former players, are also making their second appearances on the show.
“I have a lot of experienced people sitting at my desk who have been doing this for a while,” Kelce said. “Knowing that I was going to sit at a desk with experienced people who were going to make me look better than I am was definitely intriguing.”
The only thing that hasn’t changed for Kelce is his weekly game preparation.
However, there is a small change in his preparation that he is getting used to.
Instead of reading scouting reports, he reads game previews.
Instead of attending team meetings, he sits in production meetings.
Instead of being the player being interviewed, he watches the press conferences or, as with Hurts this week, is the one conducting the interviews.
In this new adventure, Kelce is having a blast experiencing something different while working with a “new team.”
“There are teammates. There’s a whole support staff here,” Kelce said. “Just like on our game days, we have trainers and equipment staff, now we have producers and sound people. It’s fun getting to know your team and building that chemistry.”
