NFL
Travis and Jason Kelce Debate Whether They’d Buy an NFL Team
Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce, have added plenty to their resumes in the past year, but owning an NFL team might not make it on the list.
The brothers debated the topic during the Wednesday, June 12, episode of their “New Heights” podcast following reports that Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is “exploring a sale” of a minority stake in the team.
“I would rather try and buy the [Kansas City] Chiefs,” Travis, 34, said when asked whether he’d ever be interested in investing. (It goes without saying that Travis can’t make the business move while still an active NFL player.)
Jason, 36, offered another perspective. “I don’t know that it matters how much a minority stake it is, I don’t think we can afford it,” he teased, to which his brother noted, “That’s a good point.”
Travis further theorized that investing in a team could prevent him from having a future in sports broadcasting down the line. Jason, who recently signed a deal to appear on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown following his NFL retirement, was unfazed.
“Listen, I’ll back out of the TV deal right now if you tell me I can own the Philadelphia Eagles. … Are you kidding me?” he said with a laugh. (Jason played center for the Eagles throughout his entire 13 seasons in the league.)
The siblings eventually proposed a workaround, floating the idea of another family member making the purchase. “How can we be an owner but not be an owner? … Kylie buys a portion?” Jason wondered, referring to his wife. “How does that work?”
After eliminating any team with a “personal connections” from the realm of possibility, Jason decided where he’d put his money if given the chance. “I’d buy the Jacksonville Jaguars and move them to London,” he joked.
In the end, however, the brothers concluded that the idea was a long shot. Jason went on to compare the thought of owning an NFL team to looking at houses out of his budget on Zillow. “That’s my favorite thing to do,” Travis quipped. “Every day.”
Outside of football, Jason and Travis agreed that owning a hockey team would be the most fun. Jason also considered the Moneyball effect of being an MLB owner, but Travis wasn’t on the same page.
“I wouldn’t wanna do all that,” he said. “If I was an owner, I feel like I would just wanna be there to, like, have fun. … I don’t wanna deal with all that s—t.”
Jason officially retired from playing pro football in March, but he’s not the only Kelce exploring job offers off the field. Travis has kept himself busy in the offseason by filming Ryan Murphy‘s latest TV series, Grotesquerie, hosting the upcoming game show Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? and visiting superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift overseas on her Eras Tour. Earlier this year, however, Travis emphasized that he isn’t ready to hang up his Chiefs jersey just yet.
“I have no reason to stop playing football,” he said in a January press conference. “I’ve been fortunate to do a few things outside of the sports world that I’ve been enjoying doing, like getting on camera … but it’s funny for me to even say that at this point in my career because I think it’s so much further down the road than it is right now.”
In April, Travis signed a two-year extension with his team worth $34.25 million, becoming the highest-paid tight end in the league.
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