Jason Kelce shares fear about debut season as broadcaster

Retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce earned a Super Bowl ring and twice played on football's biggest stage during his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Those experiences aren't keeping him from dealing with some butterflies as he prepares for his first season working as part of ESPN’s NFL coverage.

"I guess I’m fearful that I’m not going to be prepared," Kelce admitted during the latest edition of the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast, as Brendon Kleen of Awful Announcing shared. "Because I feel like there’s a lot more autonomy. Once you’re removed from it, you’ve got to go out of your way to really watch things and really iron in on what’s happening to do a reputable job."

Like legendary quarterback Tom Brady, who will begin serving as Fox's new lead in-game analyst in September, Kelce has some experience discussing NFL-related events during seasons. Brady has co-hosted the SiriusXM "Let's Go!" show for years, while Jason and brother Travis Kelce reportedly could soon receive "a deal in the $100M range" for their "New Heights" podcast.

Of course, the two situations aren't completely identical. Brady spent portions of last season learning about becoming a broadcaster, speaking with media personalities, and practicing his game calls as Kelce was featured for the 2023 Eagles.

Back in the spring of 2022, retired quarterback and current NFL analyst Kurt Warner mentioned how former players such as Brady and Jason Kelce must "figure out how to truly analyze and be critical of what’s going on but not be critical of people" during the early stages of their media careers. Kelce could benefit from chatting with Warner over the next few weeks.

"I want to go up there and do a good job because I think that there’s a service to the guys who are still in it and what’s happening, and I guess that’s my worst fear is not doing that well," Kelce added during the "Green Light" appearance. "When you get removed from it, it’s very easy I think for a former player to not truly understand what’s happening in a specific situation. But you still have to give your opinion, so doing that in a responsible way, is what I really, really want to strive to do, that’s both accurate and correct."

The Kelce brothers became media darlings for a variety of reasons over the past year, so it will be interesting to see how Jason responds to a current player having an issue with a take delivered during an ESPN "Monday Night Countdown" segment. Brady hasn't been shy about speaking his mind during certain "Let's Go!" segments, but he may also understand few players want to snap back at the GOAT via social media.