Jason Kelce isn’t the first recently retired player to be chased by media outlets. And he won’t likely be the last. However, with this song and dance being a somewhat regular occurrence, I hope ABC/ESPN, CBS, FOX, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video have learned some valuable lessons.
I, like I think most people, want to see Jason Kelce succeed in his media career. He’s fun, entertaining, unapologetic, boisterous, and appears to be an all-around good guy.
Some of those qualities are shared by many of the other players who have transitioned from player to analyst, whether it be a studio or game role.
Similarly to players who “broke the mold” or were “ahead of their time”, my fear is that networks won’t know what to do with Kelce, and rush him to a spot he’s not ready for. And that’s unfair to him.
I think the closest comparisons to the current chase of Jason Kelce are Tony Romo (CBS), Drew Brees (NBC), and Jason Witten (ESPN).
All three left their playing careers and moved to broadcast booths.
At first, Romo was heralded as a wunderkind analyst, who many would argue has fizzled and faded after showing great promise.
Brees was tabbed by NBC Sports as an analyst, and flamed out quickly. What shouldn’t have been a surprise — a player who lacked personality and an ability to showcase information quickly — was apparently a shocking development to the suits at NBC.
Finally, Witten might likely be the biggest mistake of them all. He jumped straight from the playing field to the Monday Night Football booth, which was in its own state of flux and instability. Witten was a much-needed case study in the “Just because they played for the Cowboys doesn’t mean they’d be a great analyst” media trope seen for the past nearly three decades. Like Brees, while a great player, Witten never really showcased the energy or personality that you might expect from a network’s lead analyst, before departing one of the biggest assignments in American sports television.
What do all three of those analyst have in common? They immediately left the field and joined a network as an analyst in a prominent position. No on-the-job training. No figuring it out in front of smaller audiences. They were thrown to the wolves from day one, and expected to succeed.
Now, let’s use our thinking brains for a moment. Name me another profession — media or otherwise — where you’re simply expected to show up on day one and be at the top of your field. Can’t think of one? There’s a reason for that.
Jason Kelce has all the markings of being a fantastic NFL personality. But there’s a difference — and Rob Gronkowski might be the case-in-point — between “NFL personality” and “NFL analyst.” I truly believe he can be either, but it’s up to him to decide what he wants.
To pretend as if his playoff antics in Buffalo preclude him from being a network-level analyst is asinine. If he wants to button down, wear a suit, and talk about the game alongside Spero Dedes, Kenny Albert, or some other broadcast, I believe he could do that. If CBS brought him in to star alongside a revamped cast of The NFL Today, I believe he would excel there, too.
But to expect Jason Kelce to sit down in an analyst role from day one and be of the level of Cris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman, or Greg Olsen isn’t fair to him or to the viewer. We — and he — deserve better.
I hope he’s brought along slowly, with an increasing role over time, if he so chooses. He could be an invaluable ambassador for the sport if put in a position to succeed. But his ultimate landing spot, and his subsequent role (if he wants one), will tell a lot about whether or not he’s been set up for success.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
