Once an undersized and late draft pick, Jason Kelce had, statistically, about a 6% chance of completing two seasons in the NFL. But as fate would have it, a career that began in the cool morning dew of a high school field eventually culminated with Kelce sticking around for 13 long seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

When it comes to a football career that was as successful as his—a seven-time Pro Bowl player and a Super Bowl ring to his name, it goes without saying, he had some bad days too. Think about the sting of holding penalties, the frustration of bad games, and the reality of a 2016 season when many fans wanted him gone. It has been over a year since he retired, but looking back, to this day, he wouldn’t change a thing.

During his appearance on Bussin’ with the Boys, he couldn’t help but express how he would gladly do it all over again. “What is something you would do anything for?” Kelce was asked, and he responded: “I would go back out on the field in a heartbeat. I would give anything to be able to play football again. I don’t think I can do that anymore, but I thoroughly miss being out there with the guys and playing the game.

“I cherish the time out there with the guys. And again, like I when you’re in it, you hate going through the grind of training camp and like the two like we did two days in high school and college, but you know, you hate those moments. When you’re done, you like those are the ones that you kind of miss. Like I miss, you know, being my shoulder, hurting and being bloody and like trying to fight through a practice. Like I miss my shoes squeaking with sweat out of them while I’m like walking across the field.”

At 37, a comeback isn’t really on the list. In fact, he retired because of lingering injuries. His joints, think elbows and knees, weren’t recovering as quickly as they used to, and there was a point when he realized he wasn’t the player he used to be.

Over the months, he has joked about making a comeback, but fans know that isn’t a possibility. And perhaps he won’t have to return. After all, he may not play football today, but the sport is still an important part of his life. Post-retirement, he has been busy growing his podcast ‘New Heights’ with his brother, Travis Kelce, and has become an important part of ESPN’s football broadcasting team.

In May 2024, ESPN signed Kelce to a multi-year agreement. With that, the veteran joined their ‘Monday Night Countdown’ for each week, leading into ‘Monday Night Football’ throughout the regular season. And also ESPN’s Super Wild Card and Divisional Round playoff games. That gave him the opportunity to stay close to the sport even after retirement, but also, the very contract he signed with the broadcasting giant might have blocked him from another exciting gig.

Jason Kelce gets sidelined by ESPN…

Jason Kelce’s post-retirement media career hit a headline recently for more than just his analysis or viral podcast episodes. When YouTube approached him to be part of their inaugural NFL broadcast covering the Chiefs vs. Chargers game in Brazil, ESPN shut it down. And they didn’t give any warning or wiggle room. According to Front Office Sports, ESPN firmly declined the request. The platform made it clear that Kelce wouldn’t be part of the YouTube stream.

The reason? ESPN’s enforced exclusivity policy for on-air talent blocks anyone signed by them from appearing on competitor platforms, like YouTube or Netflix, during NFL broadcasts. As per reports, ESPN pays Kelce $24 million over three years to be loyal to Monday Night Countdown. They want exclusivity, even if that means he would miss out on joining his brother, Travis Kelce’s, big game.

That strict stance isn’t just about Kelce. It reflects the bigger battle brewing between traditional sports networks and streaming platforms, which are aggressively stepping into live sports. Networks like ESPN, which shell out multi-million-dollar deals, are protecting their investments fiercely. YouTube’s NFL venture is new; Netflix is ramping up NFL games, too. And ESPN is drawing a clear line over its talent pool.