Jason Kelce (born November 5, 1987, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, U.S.) is a former American football player who is considered to have been among the game’s best centers. In 2018 he helped the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LII. In addition to his outstanding play, Kelce was known for his scrappy work ethic and outgoing personality, which made him a fan favorite. After retiring as a player in 2024, Kelce became a popular TV analyst, and he hosts the ESPN talk show They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce (2025– ). In addition, he and his younger brother, National Football League (NFL) star Travis Kelce, host the popular podcast New Heights (2022– ).

Early years and college career

Jason Kelce’s parents are Ed and Donna Kelce, a manufacturer’s representative and a bank executive, respectively. The Kelces are a family of athletes: Ed Kelce played high-school football, and Donna Kelce competed in track and field; her brother and father both played college football. As boys, Jason and Travis Kelce played a number of sports.

Despite being a star linebacker and running back in high school, Jason Kelce did not receive any college scholarship offers. Uncertain what to do, he received a card from his grandfather with a quote from former U.S. president Calvin Coolidge that stressed the need for persistence. In 2006 Kelce tried out as a walk-on at the University of Cincinnati, and he made the team. After being redshirted his freshman year, Kelce began playing in 2007, and he eventually was moved to center. Two years later he helped Cincinnati go undefeated, 12–0, in the regular season, and the school earned a spot in the Sugar Bowl. However, it was defeated by the University of Florida, 51–24.

Travis Kelce, who played quarterback in high school, followed his big brother to Cincinnati in 2008, but his career was derailed in 2010 by a positive test for marijuana, which cost him a one-year suspension. Thanks to lobbying by Jason Kelce, the coaching staff agreed to give Travis Kelce another chance, and he switched to tight end, where he excelled.

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles

Jason Kelce graduated from Cincinnati in 2010 with a degree in marketing. An unheralded prospect, he was not chosen until the sixth round in the 2011 NFL draft. When his agent, Jason Bernstein, called with the news that the Eagles had drafted him, he told Kelce that the player was a perfect fit for Philadelphia. That proved to be an accurate assessment. Kelce became hugely popular, as Eagles fans appreciated his hard work and leadership on the field. His speed, unusual for an offensive lineman, contributed to making him an elite blocker, and his football smarts helped his team adjust to the defense at the line of scrimmage.

A career highlight came in 2018, when Kelce helped the Eagles win their first NFL championship, a 41–33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. At the championship parade that followed a few days later, Kelce famously dressed in an oversized green glittery jacket and gargantuan hat—a mummers costume that Philadelphians wear on New Year’s Day—and walked the parade route while downing beers gifted to him by fans. When he got to the stage at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he gave a full-throated and expletive-filled speech, talking up the city’s underdog status.

In 2023 the Eagles returned to the title game, this time to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. The game pitted Jason Kelce against Travis Kelce, which was the first time that brothers had played against each other in a Super Bowl. Kansas City won the game, 38–35. Jason Kelce played one more season before announcing his retirement, at age 36, during an emotional press conference in March 2024. He later talked about his inability to compete at a high level and mentioned his numerous injuries. He notably suffered anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament tears in his right knee that caused him to miss most of the 2012 season. During his 13-year career, Kelce was named to the Pro Bowl seven times.

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TV analyst and host

Although his playing days had ended, Kelce was arguably busier than ever. He continued to cohost the podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce (2022– ), on which the brothers talk about sports and interview guests. In 2024 they signed a distribution deal worth more than $100 million. That year, Jason Kelce signed a three-year deal with ESPN. He appears on the channel’s pregame show Monday Night Countdown and offers half-time and postgame analysis. In January 2025 he started hosting the weekly talk show They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce on ESPN.

Personal life

In 2018 Kelce married Kylie McDevitt. The couple later had four daughters. The documentary Kelce (2023) follows the NFL star through the 2022 season, both on and off the field.