A career in the media was destined for Jason Kelce long before he began working with his brother Travis as co-host of a popular podcast.

When Andy Reid selected Kelce in the sixth round of the 2011 draft, it was clear that his dynamic personality would be well-received on the other side of the microphone. Kelce became a sought-after source for reporters during his 13-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He is insightful, eloquent and funny.

Kelce has the skills needed to succeed in television and brings credibility to the studio where he will be part of ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” broadcast team.

The six-time All-Pro center could be an instant inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and has the chance to become an even better analyst.

When asked how his Eagles went from starting 10-1 to finishing 11-6 last season and getting beaten by Tampa Bay in a wild-card game, Kelce offered a clever explanation.

“First of all, when you lose that many games in a row, it’s never just one person or one area,” Kelce told The Associated Press. “That sounds pretty bad, but when you win at a high level, every area has problems, players, coaches, talent. I think we had a lot of talent last year, but there were pieces that we were missing. I think the cohesion was definitely not what it was the year before. Obviously we lost two coordinators, what didn’t work out with the backup players.”

The Eagles reached the Super Bowl after the 2022 season, but lost 38-35 to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen left to coach Indianapolis. He was replaced by quarterback coach Brian Johnson. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon left to coach Arizona. Sean Desai took over and didn’t even last a full season before former Patriots DC Matt Patricia replaced him.

“I think Brian, Desai and Matt Patricia, all those guys are great coaches, but for some reason … it didn’t quite work out,” Kelce continued. “On offense, when we were struggling, we tried to make it simpler. I think when you’re struggling, there are one or two ways to do it. You either make it simple and get back to the basics and the essentials. Or you make it more complex and try to work your way out of those things and outsmart the opponent. On offense, we made it simpler. On defense, we went the opposite way. We completely overhauled our defensive coordinator and our system, and you saw the downsides of both.

“Offensively, I think everyone can agree, we probably took it too easy and that became a little predictable and could put us in situations where it was probably harder to execute. On defense, I think it created a little bit of hesitation and guys just couldn’t really play fast and aggressive because they were unsure. I think the players didn’t play at the level we had the year before, myself included. It’s always kind of a little bit of everything. And I’m happy with where they are now. Really.”

Kelce spent a lot of time with his former teammates at the Eagles’ practice facility during the offseason and training camp. The 36-year-old was still playing at an elite level when he retired from the game. Last season, he earned his seventh Pro Bowl berth and was named to the AP All-Pro first team for the third consecutive year.

But forget that Kelce is coming out of retirement like Brett Favre or Tom Brady. He has already reduced his playing weight from 295 pounds to 275 pounds and wants to get to 260 pounds.

“They’re not going to call me back to play center in the 260-pound class, and I’m moving on to something new now and I’m excited to see Cam (Jurgens),” Kelce said of his successor. “I really think Cam is going to be great this year. He’s going to really show people what a great player he is. He was good for us last year as a right guard and he’s going to thrive as a center. And for me personally, my days as a player are just over and I don’t foresee any scenario happening, other than maybe medicine finding a way to get rid of the arthritis, that would make me even think about coming back.”

Kelce has enough to do with his TV appearance, the podcast “New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce” as well as a wife and three young daughters. Then there are the occasional trips to concerts by superstar Taylor Swift – Travis’ girlfriend. And all the advertising opportunities that come his way.

Kelce was particularly pleased to collaborate with General Mills to create Kelce Mix Cereal, which combines Jason and Travis’s three favorite cereals – Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms and Reese’s Puffs – in one bowl.

“My brother and I have eaten these cereals since we were kids and we love them,” Kelce said. “They’re nostalgic brands and a part of our childhood. I think now that we’ve developed Kelce (Mix Cereal) with three of our favorite products, we’ve come full circle. It’s a unique cereal. When we were first approached about it, I didn’t know how these three cereals would fit together, like it was a weird combination. But I have to be honest. It tastes really damn good.”

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