Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce has been a staple of ESPN’s coverage of the NFL since he joined the sports television network on a reported 3-year, $24 million contract in 2024.
Kelce is a weekly feature as an NFL analyst on “Monday Night Countdown” throughout the regular season and ESPN’s two playoff games. He followed that up last weekend by joining “Postseason NFL Countdown” to preview the NFC and AFC conference championships.
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Since Super Bowl LX, featuring the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, is the only NFL game left this season and it will be broadcast by NBC, ESPN decided that now is the time to give Kelce a new game assignment with the football season winding down.
Jason Kelce prior to a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
(Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
For the fifth consecutive year, ESPN will air the NHL Stadium Series, which returns this weekend with the Tampa Bay Lighting hosting the Boston Bruins on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. ESPN announced its broadcast plans for the high-profile event on Monday, including a new role for Kelce as a “special correspondent.”
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“A unique ‘Best Seat in the House’ location is being created at ice level where Kelce will interview rotating special guests throughout ESPN’s NHL coverage,” ESPN said in a press release.
The game is being played outdoors at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium. It is where Kelce played the final game of his NFL career, a 32-9 loss by the Eagles in the 2023 NFL playoffs.
It is the first time Kelce will cover hockey for ESPN, but he has a strong familiarity with the sport. During his senior year at Cleveland Heights High School, he had 21 goals and 15 assists in 27 games as a forward on the hockey team.
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Kelce’s love for hockey was on display in October when he was in Jacksonville with ESPN to cover a “Monday Night Football” game featuring the Jaguars hosting his brother, Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
On their “New Heights” podcast, Jason told his brother about spontaneously getting invited to a men’s league game and winning the player of the game award. The story represented the kind of passion and personality ESPN will hope to get from Kelce on their Stadium Series telecast.
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By combining one of their most recognizable talents with a marquee event on a non-football Sunday, ESPN has a chance to draw in some new viewers while seeing how Kelce performs beyond his comfort zone of NFL coverage.
Related: Jason Kelce Makes Admission After Working with Travis Kelce’s Future Wife Taylor Swift
Related: Travis Kelce Makes Unexpected Decision After Chiefs Miss NFL Playoffs
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.