Travis Kelce offered attractive post-NFL gig as host says he’d ‘gladly take pay cut’ for him to join network

Nate Burleson has already begun lobbying for Travis Kelce to join CBS once his NFL career runs its course.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has committed to playing one more season in the NFL, at the very least, which will be his 14th in the league.

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Speculation of retirement followed Kelce throughout the course of the 2025 campaign, as the Chiefs missed out on the playoffs for the first time in a decade after winning just six games.

Kelce’s production also suffered a hit, as it also did in 2024, with him recording 851 receiving yards and five touchdowns, markedly down from his 17-game average of 1,151 yards and seven touchdowns across his 13-year career to date.

But when he inevitably hangs up his cleats for good, Burleson would love for Kelce to join him on CBS’S NFL Today.

In a conversation with Front Office Sports on Thursday, Burleson was asked about whether he thinks Kelce will follow in his brother Jason’s footsteps and forge a career in TV after his playing career.

“Yeah,” he said. “Because Travis Kelce is a receiver in the tight end’s body. And if we know anything about receivers, we love attention and we love to hear ourselves talk and we love to listen to ourselves.

“So, he’s going to continue to want to hear himself talk.” 

Burleson would know a thing or two about what NFL receivers are like, having suited up for the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit Lions, in a 13-year career from 2000-2013.

“Listen, if Jason Kelce, who was the guy that reluctantly went into TV, you know Trav is the guy that they’re gonna put on camera and he’s gonna do amazing,” Burleson continued.

“He’s articulate, he got the swag, he knows the game and he’s a master of being in front of a microphone given his podcast and the success.” 

While Burleson is confident that the three-time Super Bowl winner will eventually make the switch to a media career, he knows that the 36-year-old’s going rate would be very, very high.

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“What I do know is whoever is going after Travis, they’re going to have to back that Brinks truck up, because one, he’s made a ton of money in the league,” Burleson joked.

“His lady [Taylor Swift] got paper, I’ll be honest. So, he’s not gonna show up for cheap change.

“And I just don’t know if CBS got the budget, but I’d gladly take a pay cut. My agent didn’t hear that by the way.” 

Burleson helped another NFL star land a TV role

Whilst Burleson continues to advocate for bringing Kelce to CBS, the all-time great TE wouldn’t be the first NFL star that the analyst has helped land a job post-playing career.

This is because he also helped recruit Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson to take a role on NFL Today, instead of continuing his playing career, where he was presented with an opportunity to do so.

“Russell knows the game—high football IQ, coolest dude ever,” Burleson said. “If anybody has ever met him, they know what type of guy he is, how he shows up on and off the field.” 

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The announcement was made official in June with Wilson expected to take over the role vacated by former analyst Matt Ryan following his abrupt departure during the 2025 playoffs after he accepted a role as the President of Football for his former team, the Atlanta Falcons.

At the time, Kirk Cousins was named a temporary replacement, and could have yet been in the running for the full-time position, only the 37-year-old knew he wasn’t done playing football yet, and joined the Las Vegas Raiders where he will mentor No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

“I’m not saying I gotta bring the dog outta Russ, right?” Burleson continued.

“I’m saying I wanna show the different side of Russ. I want to show the very funny side. I wanna show that side that’s passionate.

“I want Russ to show the different layers of who he is.”

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