Jason Kelce has embarked on a new venture after retiring from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this year after 13 seasons with the NFL team. Jason Kelce is ready to score touchdowns again.
The former Philadelphia Eagles center has taken on a new role after leaving the NFL: He will serve as a commentator on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, the pregame show for Monday Night Football on the network, a source familiar with the negotiations told TODAY.com.
The news comes less than two months after the 36-year-old announced his retirement from the Eagles after 13 seasons during an emotional press conference.
“I look back on a career full of ups and downs,” Jason said on March 4. “I will never forget the call I received from Andy Reid and my dad rushing into the room, tears streaming down his face because his son had achieved his dream.”
In his speech, Jason went on to reflect on his childhood with his brother, Travis Kelce—who just extended his contract with the Kansas City Chiefs for another two years—saying, “We had a small family. No cousins, one aunt, one uncle. It was just my brother and me our whole lives. We did almost everything together—competing, fighting, laughing, crying, and learning from each other.”
The host of the New Heights podcast also gave special additional recognition to his wife Kylie Kelce—with whom he has three daughters, 4-year-old Wyatt, 3-year-old Elliotte, and 14-month-old Bennett—thanking her for her support throughout his NFL career.
“It’s no coincidence that I’ve enjoyed the best years of my career with Kylie by my side,” he said. “Every accolade I’ve ever received has come with her presence in my life. She’s brought out the best in me through love, dedication, support, honesty, intelligence, and of course, the occasional swift kick in the butt from time to time.”
And to honor Jason’s final NFL kickoff, Kylie shared a thoughtfully chosen retirement gift she bought for him: a miniature model of Lincoln Financial Field, where Jason played with the Eagles.
And that’s not the only sweet moment from Jason and Kylie’s love story. For more, keep reading.
(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
2015
Jason Kelce doesn’t want you to know that he met his wife, Kylie Kelce, on a dating app. Unfortunately, he’s not afraid to reveal how their relationship began in the Prime Video documentary Kelce.
“Jason wouldn’t let me lie about this,” Kylie said. “We met on Tinder.”
When first encountering Jason’s profile, Kylie didn’t recognize the Philadelphia Eagles center, explaining, “None of the photos showed him in Eagles gear.”
However, after she and her friends thought he looked “kind of familiar,” they did what millennial women do best: a Google image search. And when Kylie put a name to the face, she was sure she was being catfished.
“There’s no way it’s him,” she recalled, “this has to be a catfish.”
However, she gave it a shot. And in 2015, she shared the couple’s first photo on Instagram, writing, “Thank goodness you swiped right too.”
2015
Although Jason and Kylie eventually hit it off, their first date didn’t go as planned.
“You fell asleep 45 minutes after I got there at the bar table because you were too drunk,” Kylie revealed on Jason’s New Heights podcast, which she co-hosts with his brother, Travis Kelce.
While admitting he was “drunk,” Jason said, “I was sober enough to know that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. It was love at first sight.”
However, Kylie admitted it took her a while to fully commit to being in a relationship with a professional athlete.
“I didn’t tell anyone I was dating,” she explained. “The last thing I wanted was like, ‘I think I’m starting to fall for this guy,’ and then he says, ‘Oh, I have six other girls waiting,’ which is the stereotype of a football player.”
However, with experience, Kylie acknowledged. “It was reassuring that there was no doubt at all.”
“Our dynamics made it not like I was in a relationship with a professional athlete,” she continued, “it was very clear that I was in a relationship with Jason whose main profession was football.”
August 2017
She said yes! But only after enduring some silly antics from Jason.
During the September 7 episode of the New Heights podcast, the couple shared their engagement story, which began with Jason admitting he’s not a “romantic” person.
The NFL star proposed to Kylie in his car as they were leaving her parents’ house.
“I couldn’t find a way to get back into the house without looking suspicious,” he explained, “because if I said, ‘Hey, I need to talk to your dad for a second,’ it would be very weird for me to say that.”
Instead, Jason opted for, well, Option Number 2: “When we got in the car, I said, ‘Ky, I’m sorry but I have to take a dump.'”
However, Kylie immediately knew Jason was planning something when he returned a few minutes later. “He comes back out, and I’m like, ‘Jason, I know you don’t just walk in and take a dump, usually you take 20 minutes.'”
Jason then cut to the chase and got straight to the point.
“He said, ‘This isn’t the most romantic way to do this,'” Kylie recalled, “and I immediately started crying because I knew what was happening just because he referred to it as romantic.”
April 2018
Two months after winning his first Super Bowl, Jason added an even more special ring to his collection when he and Kylie tied the knot in Philadelphia.
To celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary, Kylie shared some memories from their wedding day.
“One year ago today we stood in front of our closest friends and family and vowed our love and commitment to each other,” she wrote. “I am so grateful to be sharing my life with this man.”
October 2019
The couple welcomed their first daughter, Wyatt Elizabeth Kelce, on October 2. And to celebrate Wyatt’s first birthday, Kylie shared some photos from the delivery room on Instagram.
“One year ago, this little bug snuggled into my chest for her first night in the world. I will never tire of your cuddles, Wy,” she wrote. “Also, swipe to see one of my favorite photos on my phone. Mid-push, veins bulging out of my head, and the biggest smile on Jason’s face. A few minutes later, we became parents.”
March 2021
The Kelces welcomed their second child, daughter Elliotte Rya Kelce, into the world on March 4.
Kylie shared a sweet video of Elliotte to celebrate her six-month birthday, writing, “Full of smiles, laughter, and sweetness.”
And, for her first post of 2022, Kylie added a caption to Elliotte’s photo, “The best thing to happen in 2021.”
February 2023
As Jason and Travis competed against each other in Super Bowl 2023, Kylie had a very special guest in attendance with her.
“Kylie brought her midwife because she would be 38 weeks pregnant at the game,” Jason said on the podcast. “It could be the Super Kelce Bowl. If she gives birth in the stadium, it’s officially set!”
Travis joked, “We’re in the Matrix, there’s no way.”
February 2023
While Uncle Trav may have won the Kelce Bowl when the Chiefs defeated the Eagles, Jason received an even sweeter gift two weeks later when he and Kylie welcomed their third daughter.
“Yesterday, #3 joined us,” the couple wrote on Instagram. “Bennett Llewellyn Kelce 8lbs. 5oz. and 21 inches long.”
Their daughter was named to honor Jason’s grandmother through the middle name Bennett, Llewellyn.
“This is Grandma Mary’s girl name,” Jason shared on New Heights. “I wanted to honor Grandma Mary, who is now peacefully resting. She’s done well.”
Kylie and their three daughters visited Jason at Philadelphia Eagles training camp, with the couple sharing a photo together on Instagram.
August 2023
“Here for Rita’s and obstacle courses with dad after practice,” the caption read.
Jason’s dad skills are evident in the Kelce documentary on Prime Video, where Kylie shares her honest thoughts about Jason’s retirement.
“I always tell people that no matter what happens with football, however it ends,” she said, “I want him to retire when he can still get down on the floor and comfortably play with our kids.”
