3-way bidding war expected over Chiefs TE Travis Kelce next season
Amid a hot start to the season with the Kansas City Chiefs, tight end Travis Kelce is generating speculation about where he could land next season.
The 37-year-old three-time Super Bowl champion returned this season to join quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid in a quest for another Lombardi Trophy. However, speculation about Kelce’s eventual retirement continues, amid his marriage to singer Taylor Swift and various off-field endeavors, including television jobs.
And his next job could be calling games in the booth. While appearing on “Pardon My Take,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio gave a quick prediction that Kelce could join Joe Buck in the booth for commentary on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”
He followed by predicting a three-way bidding war between networks attempting to land Kelce for their NFL coverage. Those networks could also include CBS and Amazon Prime, the latter of which broadcasts the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” games.
Florio’s prediction came a day after Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman hinted at possibly leaving ESPN amid an unsigned contract extension, saying he’ll be a “free agent” after the season. That would open a spot in the “Monday Night Football” broadcasting booth, as Aikman regularly calls games alongside Joe Buck.
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According to Florio, Kelce has been interested in an NFL broadcasting job since last year, and may have an inside track on a few of the opportunities that could open up to him.
“Last year, Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen were inquiring with Amazon about whether or not the Prime Video spot would be available this year, and Kirk Herbstreit was still under contract,” Florio said on the podcast.
“He’s already got the relationship with Amazon with ‘New Heights,’ but his brother’s already got the relationship in place with ESPN, and he’s going to be the one. He’s going to be the one they all want,” he said.
“There could be a three-way bidding war, and they’re all gonna want him, and I think he’s gonna be in a booth somewhere next year,” he said, adding, “As it stands, CBS is gonna be looking, ESPN is gonna be looking, and Prime Video did that extension with Herbstreit, which basically has a clause saying, ‘If we find anyone better, we can tear up your contract,'” Florio explained.
Kelce’s marriage to Swift and his personality would certainly make him a major draw for any network’s NFL coverage. If he were to join Prime, it would give them a major boost in potential viewership, but he’d likely get more visibility by being in the “MNF” booth with Buck on ESPN’s coverage.
Replacing a legend like Aikman with a newly retired star like Kelce would give a fresh boost to the coverage, with Kelce already prepping for the potential role. He hosted a Prime game show, “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” on Prime Video and has also appeared in a role in five episodes of the Ryan Murphy-directed FX series “Grotesquerie.”
It would be bittersweet for Chiefs fans to see one of their longtime stars leave the field, though. Kelce has played his entire NFL career with Kansas City since 2013, becoming an 11-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
He is a three-time Super Bowl winner and likely future Hall of Fame inductee, but his current season is far from over. Kelce and the Chiefs are one of just three remaining undefeated teams going into the Week 6 NFL slate and will face the winless Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Oct. 18.
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