Jason Kelce has admitted he’s nervous for his Monday Night Football gig with ESPN, which he is set to start this fall after calling time on a legendary career this offseason.
The former Eagles center officially signed a multi-year deal with the network last month and will be part of MNF’s pregame and halftime coverage as he transitions from the gridiron to the TV screen.
‘I’m nervous. And I think that’s good,’ he said on the ‘Whiskey Ginger’ podcast with comedian Andrew Santino.
‘Every game I ever played in my life, that I played really well [in], I was nervous for, at least a healthy amount. Not like to the point where you think you can’t do it, but there’s a healthy amount of respect for your opponent… whenever I played a really good player I always felt like I played better, because all week I was really into preparing for this guy.
‘When you put more effort into it because of that nervousness, I think it usually results in a better product,’ he continued. ‘Now, once you’re out there you can’t be nervous, you just gotta go, but I think it’s healthy to be nervous with where I’m at right now.
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After Kelce’s move to ESPN was confirmed, he discussed the ‘insane’ opportunity with his brother Travis on their ‘New Heights’ podcast.
‘We grew up watching all of the legends and ESPN really fueled our sports fandom, our competition, our knowledge of the games we were playing… it’s insane,’ Travis said.
Jason responded by revealing the brothers’ first conversation about the chance to join ESPN.
‘When I called you and we started talking about the different opportunities, I mentioned ESPN in particular, your exact words I think were: “You’re going to be Monday Night Football?”‘ the elder Kelce said.
‘It’s crazy, especially when we were growing up, this was the night that everyone thought of with football. Monday Night Football and now I’m going to be on there with some incredibly talented people – Scott Van Pelt, Marcus Spears, Ryan Clark.
‘All these guys offer – not just great expertise but wonderful personalities and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun man. It’s going to be a good time, we’re going to be at the games, travelling around, I still don’t know what I’m wearing so I guess we’ll find out.’
While Jason is relatively new to broadcasting he’s not completely without experience.
During the Eagles’ bye week last season, he filled in on Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football, while he is of course frequently on camera for his show ‘New Heights.’
Jason’s first game for ESPN will be a big one, as the 49ers are set to welcome Aaron Rodgers nd the Jets on September 9.