Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce may be closer to his next big job than anyone expected.
As Kelce puts together an excellent year in Kansas City, the NFL’s broadcasting carousel is spinning faster than ever, and that could put him in a prime position for one of the league’s most lucrative second careers. The shuffle has opened up, or appears to be opening up, major seats at CBS, ESPN and Prime Video.
It started with the news that former CBS lead analyst Tony Romo, who was once the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, would be leaving the network after an incident that allegedly involved alcohol before the season in Wisconsin. That created an opening that now seems likely to be filled by another former Cowboys quarterback, Troy Aikman, if the reports about him leaving CBS hold true.
There’s also movement at Fox, where former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olson is apparently on his way out. Olson had originally occupied the network’s top spot before Fox struck a ten-year, $360 million deal with former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. With those changes in motion, the board is shifting everywhere.
The most intriguing opening may be the one at Prime Video. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and others have reported that Kirk Herbstreit has signed a contract extension that is essentially a placeholder until Amazon can see who becomes available.
That’s where Kelce enters the picture. Florio has reported that Kelce has been “sniffing around” the Prime Video job, and it’s easy to see why. He’s a natural on camera, already has weekly rhythm built through his New Heights podcast with his brother, former offensive lineman Jason Kelce, and he has the kind of presence that could translate cleanly to broadcasting.
Kelce is also viewed as the big prize in this talent chase because this season is almost certainly his last go-round, and he’ll need a high-profile landing spot when his playing days are over. Not that he’ll be short on options or cash either way.
And there’s another layer to all of it: Taylor Swift. Her recent wedding to Kelce could matter here, too. Swift already drives massive ratings whenever she shows up in her private box at Chiefs home games, and networks would love any connection, even an indirect one, to the billionaire pop star.
In Other News...
Kansas State Opens Casey Alexander Era With A Brutal Big 12 Warning
Kansas State is starting over with Casey Alexander at the helm after the school moved on from Jerome Tang, and the early read from the Big 12 is about as harsh as it gets. In the conference preseason media poll, the Wildcats were picked to finish tied for 14th, a reminder of just how much work Alexander is walking into as he begins shaping a roster that looks almost entirely different from last season.
Only one player from last year is back, which leaves Alexander leaning heavily on transfers and internal development to give this team a fighting chance in a league that rarely gives anyone much breathing room. For Kansas State, the challenge is not just replacing what was lost, but doing it fast enough to climb out of the cellar before the Big 12 season turns unforgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Has A Huge Week 7 Chance To Change The Big 12 Race
Week 7 gives the Big 12 one of those Saturdays that can start sorting out the league picture in a hurry, with two ranked matchups and a slate full of rivalry games that could ripple through the standings. The attention naturally lands on the biggest names and the postseason angle, but for Kansas State, the calendar brings a game that carries its own weight in the race and in the moment, with the Wildcats set to meet Kansas in a border showdown that always means more than the record book says.
Around the conference, the stakes are unusually spread out, from BYUs test against Notre Dame to Oklahoma States shot at Houston, and that only adds to the pressure on the games that stay inside league lines. Kansas State knows these are the kinds of weekends when a team can strengthen its path or get dragged into the clutter, and with quarterback play and conference positioning hanging over the slate, the Wildcats have a chance to leave a real mark on the Big 12 picture. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Has More Than Bragging Rights Riding On Saturday
Saturdays Sunflower Showdown is carrying a little extra weight in Manhattan, where Kansas State will have several top high school recruits on hand for official visits while the Wildcats try to keep their streak going against Kansas. It is the kind of stage the program wants, a rivalry game with enough buzz to show prospects what the atmosphere looks like and enough stakes to remind them that the Wildcats still expect to own this series.
The recruiting angle matters just as much for the long term. With Chris Klieman gone since last December and the new head coach, formerly Texas A&Ms offensive coordinator, still building out his own footprint, these weekends are part of the sales pitch. Wins over Kansas always matter, but so does turning a big game into a glimpse of where Kansas State is trying to go with its future classes. [Read more 🡒]