JASON Kelce was “delighted” to pen a $1.8 million a year Monday Night Football deal with ESPN – because it allows him to continue working on his New Heights podcast with brother Travis.
The U.S. Sun has spoken to a source close to the Philadelphia Eagles legend who claims the three-year contract has a sign-on bonus of an extra $1 million.
Fox was keen to land Jason and was ready to offer a three-year deal, worth $2 million a year.
But The U.S. Sun understands that ESPN is happy to give him “full freedom” to work on New Heights, which was a deal breaker.
The podcast is continuing to make serious waves and we reported earlier this month how sponsors are queuing up for a piece of the action with deals worth an eye-watering $90 million.
ESPN, as part of the agreement, can buy New Heights if the brothers decide to sell before 2025.
Jason wanted to sign up with the sports broadcasting giant – Amazon, NBC, and CBS were also interested – because it is allowing him to extend his contract at the end of three years and renegotiate his salary.
He will join multiple Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick on the new look Monday Night Football.
The insider said Jason took his time in making the decision, with so many interesting offers to consider.
But the option to just work on Mondays and have the rest of the week to spend time with his family and work on the pod was enough to seal the deal.
Jason is already getting to work, with the source saying, “He is already asking for advice from other members of the crew, and getting prepared for this next step.”
“I knew he wanted to be an analyst to start with, as it will give him great insight into the TV industry,” added the insider who is close to the Kelce family.
“The transition from retiring into something new has been smooth. He loves football, he loves his new life, and he thinks that this next step is the perfect one to transition and be in the football industry for many, many more years.”
The U.S. Sun has revealed the Kelce brothers have been approached by Hollywood bosses who have a $100 million budget for an action movie starring the NFL stars.
Travis, meanwhile, wants to establish himself as a media “heavyweight” and knows his relationship with singing sensation Taylor Swift has helped thrust his profile – and his brothers – into the mainstream.
The 34-year-old Travis wants to expand his horizons through television.
He’ll be the new host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? which is a spin-off of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
The series will be available to be streamed on Prime Video.
On Monday, Travis signed an adjusted contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, keeping him on the team for another two seasons.
The eight-time Pro Bowl tight end tweaked his current contract that runs through the 2025 season.
The adjusted contract raises Kelce’s 2024-25 total money from $30.25 million up to $34.25 million which guarantees $17 million at signing.
And the deal also guarantees “most of next year” on the third day of the 2025 league year, per ESPN.
Kelce will turn 35 in October as himself and the Chiefs will make their run at the NFL’s first-ever three-peat.
