Jason Kelce has never been one to stir the pot just for the sake of it. But when the former Eagles center speaks, especially on matters close to the heart of football culture, people listen. And on the latest episode of his New Heights podcast, Kelce didn’t hold back when it came to the NFL’s shifting stadium landscape-specifically calling out the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs for their decisions to move out of their current city locations.
“If I was an owner, I might feel differently, but f*** that,” Kelce said. “Keep those stadiums in the cities.”
That’s about as direct as it gets. And his frustration?
It’s rooted in something more than nostalgia. It’s about the connection between fans and the heartbeat of a city.
Kelce made it clear: while owners chase revenue streams and multi-use venue dreams, it’s the fans-those who fill the seats, buy the jerseys, and live and breathe their teams-who are often left behind.
“I know you guys want to make all your money, and you want to have your shows, and you want to do all this stuff,” Kelce continued. “The fans pay a lot of the money for you guys to have all these things and for the NFL to exist. And I don’t like the stadiums moving.”
Let’s be clear: the Browns aren’t packing up and heading across the country. Their new stadium is planned for Brook Park, just 15 miles south of downtown Cleveland. But for Kelce, and many fans, that short drive represents a bigger shift-one away from the soul of the city.
“There’s something awesome about going downtown, into the heart of Cleveland to go see a Browns game,” Kelce said. “They could figure out a way to build a new stadium downtown… You can do the same thing in Kansas City.”
And that’s where the Chiefs come in. Their iconic Arrowhead Stadium-one of the loudest and most storied venues in the league-is set to move from Missouri to Kansas.
It won’t be far, and fans will still be able to make the trip. But again, it’s about more than logistics.
It’s about legacy. Arrowhead isn’t just a stadium-it’s a symbol, a gathering place, a piece of football history.
Moving it, even across state lines, changes the dynamic.
On the Browns’ side, the new stadium is shaping up to be a massive project. Slated to open in 2029-most likely between the 2028-29 and 2029-30 seasons-it’s designed to be a state-of-the-art facility. The plans call for a 215,000-square-foot plaza, which would make it the largest in the NFL, and a 377,000-square-foot concourse, also the biggest in the league.
One notable feature? The nosebleeds-or lack thereof.
The stadium is expected to have the lowest upper-deck seating in the NFL, topping out at 248 feet. That’s by design.
To keep the height down and the view closer to the action, the upper-level seats will be set at a steep 34-degree incline. It might mean a tougher climb to the top, but it also means fans in the cheap seats won’t feel like they’re watching from the clouds.
Construction hasn’t started yet, but it’s right around the corner. According to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, ground will break on March 2. And yes, it’s going to be a domed stadium-giving Cleveland a climate-controlled venue capable of hosting not just football, but major events year-round.
Still, for Kelce and many longtime fans, the issue isn’t about square footage or seat angles. It’s about identity. It’s about Saturdays and Sundays spent walking through downtown streets, grabbing a bite at a local spot, then heading into a stadium that feels like it belongs to the city as much as it does to the team.
In the end, Kelce’s message wasn’t anti-progress. It was pro-community. And in an era where billion-dollar stadiums are becoming the norm, his words serve as a reminder: the game might be played on the field, but the soul of football lives in the stands-and in the cities that have built their identities around the teams they love.