Jason Kelce ESPN deal to end with NFL legend set to ‘explore other opportunities’

Jan 30, 2026 - 10:00

Jason Kelce’s late-night talk show will not return to ESPN in 2026.

The retired Philadelphia Eagles legend launched They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce on the network last January, less than a year after signing a $24 million deal to join Monday Night Countdown as an NFL analyst.

ESPN's Monday Night Countdown's Jason Kelce in warm up before a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants on December 1, 2025 — Kelce’s late-night talk show will not return to ESPN for a second season

His ambitious talk show was picked up for five episodes, taped in Philadelphia and aired on Fridays at 1am ET on ESPN, with streams also available on ESPN+ and YouTube.

The format drew from traditional late-night television, and focused on NFL storylines and upcoming games.

Why won’t Jason Kelce’s ESPN show return in 2026?

According to a report from Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing, the decision to end the project was mutual.

Neumann revealed that Kelce ‘wanted to explore other opportunities during the offseason’ rather than commit to another run of the show.

ESPN are said to have ‘remained supportive of continuing the program’ and will work with the NFL legend on other projects going forward.

The debut episode of They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce, which aired on January 3, 2025, drew 290,000 viewers on ESPN.

Burke Magnus, the network’s president of content, said that same month that ESPN wasn’t focused on ratings for a five-episode experiment.

He noted that any decision about the show’s future would be ‘a little bit more art than science.’

Its second episode benefited from the Cotton Bowl lead-in to reach a high of 881,000 viewers.

However, by episode 4, the show hit a low of 110,000 viewers.

A screenshot of They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce, which will not return to ESPN for a second season — The decision to cancel Kelce’s talk show is said to be mutual

While his late-night show is ending, Kelce will still be on the ESPN airwaves in the coming months, and has added another sport to his portfolio.

Jason Kelce tackles hockey in new broadcast role

The network announced on Monday that their 38-year-old football analyst will swap the Monday Night Countdown desk for the ice this weekend.

Kelce will serve as a special correspondent for Sunday’s NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium.

ESPN will position him in what is described as ‘the best seat in the house’ as the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Boston Bruins.

Kelce will be at an ice-level location, and will rotate through special guests during the broadcast.

Steve Levy, Mark Messier and P.K. Subban will all join him as members of the on-site studio crew at Raymond James Stadium.

Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles was a fan favorite as a guest of the the Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers on February 23, 2019 — Kelce will be on ESPN’s crew for the NHL Stadium Series game in Tampa

The Eagles legend actually grew up playing hockey, and scored 21 in 27 games during his senior year at Cleveland Heights High School two decades ago.

Sunday’s Stadium Series game, will also mark Kelce’s return to the place he played his final NFL game in January 2024.

Philadelphia were routed 32-9 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs two years ago, and soon after that, he announced his emotional retirement from football.

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