Travis Kelce is turning 37 this October, and everyone knows that his retirement is imminent. Given his fame, he has a plethora of options to choose from for his post-football life. However, when it comes to the star Kansas City Chiefs tight end potentially becoming a broadcaster, some don’t see it panning out well.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Can I just butt in there?” Brendon Kleen shared on the September 16 episode of the Awful Announcing podcast. “I was going to bring that up after you were done, but there is no evidence Travis Kelce would be interested in or good at calling NFL games. That is made up. It is because he’s famous. That’s it.”
“I don’t know if it’s made up. I think there is smoke there because reputable people have talked about this. I know I’m saying Kelce wouldn’t even be good at it,” Drew Lerner added. “ … I just think we are way over our skis just with this assumption that by next year Travis Kelce is going to be like breaking down fourth downs for the Commanders in week nine on a game call.”
Travis Kelce is playing his 14th season this year, and he has three Super Bowl victories to flaunt on his resume. He does have enough experience to analyze a game fully from up top and add his insights. However, it all comes down to how the landscape churns out on the broadcasting side of things.
According to Lerner, two potential top analyst jobs will need to be filled in the upcoming offseason. In February, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that Amazon Prime Video could be moving on from color commentator Kirk Herbstreit. Fox’s Greg Olsen and CBS’ J.J. Watt were reportedly priorities to replace Herbstreit, but Kelce is a “wild card” candidate, according to Marchand.
The other job is, of course, the play-by-play broadcaster for Thursday Night Football. 81-year-old Al Michaels still holds that position for now, and it is expected that he will retire. Travis Kelce could perhaps try to fit in this role, too.
Getting the tight end a studio presence alone is going to cost big on networks. Per Marchand, Kelce could command a $15 million salary even if he is not in the booth. He did Saturday Night Live in 2023 and is the co-host of the extremely popular ‘New Heights’ podcast. But the idea of being in the booth has crossed Kelce’s mind before.
“I wanna see what calling a game feels like,” Kelce said on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast in July last year. “Getting in the booth. I’ve always impersonated guys that call the games and stuff like that growing up. I don’t know, I thought it would always be fun to just jump in there. Player names is where I would get [expletive] ruined.”
He’s also admitted he’d have a “blast” working for ESPN in the future, where his brother, Jason Kelce, is already employed.
Kelce will most likely struggle at the beginning of this potential broadcasting career. However, he is too big an opportunity to miss out on for the major networks. Per Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder, the analyst seat at Thursday Night Football is “being kept warm” for the tight end. CBS Sports Nate Burleson offered to take a pay cut to help the network secure Travis Kelce.
“What I do know is whoever is going after Travis, they’re going to have to back that Brinks truck up, because one, he’s made a ton of money in the league,” Burleson told Front Office Sports. “His lady [Taylor Swift] got paper, I’ll be honest. So, he’s not gonna show up for cheap change. And I don’t know if CBS got the budget, but I’d gladly take a pay cut.”
When it comes to his elite football IQ and proven media charisma, Kelce definitely has scope in broadcasting. However, at the same time, an NFL broadcast booth role is complicated, and his massive crossover fame and high-profile relationship might make it difficult for him.