ESPN Targeting Jason Kelce for ‘Monday Night Football’ Coverage, Per Report

Kelce is one of the biggest available names on the sports media market.

Media outlets have been heavily involved in the Jason Kelce sweepstakes, vying for his services even before he retired. The future Hall of Fame center officially hung up his cleats earlier this month and the pursuit has only gotten more competitive because everyone in the business agrees that he will be a can’t-miss hire.

The ultimate winner could be ESPN, based on a report from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand that the network is going hard after Kelce for Monday Night Football Countdown. The report also suggests that Robert Griffin III’s spot could be in jeopardy.

ESPN is planning another “Monday Night Football” pregame shake-up, according to executives with knowledge of the network’s plans.

A year after a complete makeover of the set under the stewardship of Scott Van Pelt, Robert Griffin III’s spot is in jeopardy, while the network is aggressively pursuing retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce for Monday nights.

Last year’s Monday night pregame show featured host Scott Van Pelt, along with Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears, Adam Schefter, Michelle Beisner-Buck and Griffin III. Larry Fitzgerald appeared in a part-time capacity and Marchand reports that the former wide receiver’s role is also in limbo.

ESPN is obviously vying against a crowded field in its quest to get Kelce. Also interested are NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime Video. But the network has shown a willingness to swing big and invest heavily in its Monday Night Football product, including bringing over Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to shore up the booth before the 2022 season. Creating buzz for pre- and postgame programming is a tall task and adding one of the most popular and charismatic football personalities on the market would be a major score.

Kyle Koster is an editor at The Big Lead.