Jason Kelce's beloved Philadelphia Eagles are gearing up for another Super Bowl matchup against his brother’s Kansas City Chiefs—but he’s not feeling like he’s missing out.
“I wouldn’t say I have FOMO (fear of missing out),” Kelce shared with TODAY.com. “Obviously, as a former player, there’s always a part of you that wants to be on the field. There's always a part that wishes you could play again.”
However, Kelce says he’s at peace with his decision. “The reality is, I’m very happy with the choice I made. I was done playing football for a number of reasons.”
When the former Eagles center announced his retirement from the NFL in March 2024, he was aware that this moment could come — the chance to face his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in football’s biggest game.
The Kelce brothers previously faced off in Super Bowl 57 in February 2023, a thrilling 38-35 win for the Chiefs, marking the first time two brothers played on opposing Super Bowl teams. Though this year’s Super Bowl is a shot at redemption for the Eagles, Jason Kelce says he’s “at peace” letting his former teammates take the reins.
As for his predictions, Kelce anticipates a tight game. “I don’t think it’ll be high-scoring, but I could be wrong. Both of these defenses are really good,” he says. “The closer the game is, the more I get nervous, as an Eagles fan, about Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and what they can do with the game on the line. They’ve been in that position so many times.” However, he acknowledges that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has also proven his ability to handle high-pressure situations. “It’s the Super Bowl. Any team can win any given year,” Kelce adds.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, Kelce has already arrived in New Orleans, where his parents, Ed and Donna Kelce, are expected to join him later this week. The family doesn’t have any major plans besides enjoying the city, including “eating beignets on Bourbon Street,” Kelce says. “Trav is going to be focused on winning this game, so I’m not going to see him much. They’re pretty much all business this week.”
But Jason isn’t the only bearded, burly guy walking the streets of New Orleans. In a contest hosted by Marriott, a group of Jason Kelce look-alikes filled the area, with superfans trying to find the real Kelce among them. “About 25 doppelgängers were running around for a while,” he says, laughing. The winners who managed to find him received a free night in the Courtyard Super Bowl Sleepover Suite at the Caesars Superdome and got the chance to hang out with the former NFL star.
“I’ve never seen that many people who look like me,” he jokes. “Although I’m a pretty generic-looking man, I haven’t seen that many in one place.”
Since retiring, Kelce has stayed involved in football as a broadcaster for ESPN, which he calls a “new experience in the NFL landscape.”
“When you’re a player, you watch everything through the lens of your team. All the film you watch each week is only for the Philadelphia Eagles,” he explains. “But now, being on the outside, I’m supposed to be an expert on the entire NFL.”
“I’ve had to watch more football games than I ever have in my life,” he says with a smile. “It’s been fun to experience the whole league this year.”
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