JASON Kelce was “delighted” to sign a $1.8 million-a-year Monday Night Football deal with ESPN – because it allows him to continue working on his New Heights podcast with brother Travis.
The US Sun spoke to a source close to the Philadelphia Eagles legend, who claims the three-year contract has an extra $1 million signing bonus.
Fox was eager to sign Jason and was ready to offer a three-year contract worth $2 million a year.
But The US Sun understands that ESPN is happy to give him “complete freedom” to work in New Heights, which was a deal breaker.
The podcast continues to make big waves and we reported earlier this month how backers are lining up to get in on the action with deals worth $90 million.
ESPN, as part of the deal, could buy New Heights if the brothers decide to sell before 2025.
Jason was also interested in signing with the sports broadcasting giants – Amazon, NBC and CBS were also interested – because they are allowing him to extend his contract at the end of three years and renegotiate his salary.
He will join multi-Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick in the new-look Monday Night Football.
The source said Jason took his time making the decision, with so many interesting offers to consider.
But the option to only work on Mondays and have the rest of the week to spend time with family and work on the pod was enough to seal the deal.
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Jason is already getting to work, with the source saying, “He’s already asking other team members for advice and preparing for the next step.”
“For starters, I knew he wanted to be an analyst because it would give him great insight into the TV industry,” added the source who is close to the Kelce family.
“The transition from retirement to something new has been smooth. He loves football, he loves his new life and he thinks this next step is perfect for making the transition and staying in the football industry for many, many more years.”
The US Sun revealed that the Kelce brothers have been approached by Hollywood bosses who have a $100 million budget for an action film starring NFL stars.
Travis, for his part, is keen to establish himself as a media “heavyweight” and knows that his relationship with music sensation Taylor Swift has helped boost his profile – and that of his siblings – into the mainstream.
Travis, 34, wants to expand his horizons through television.
He will be the new host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? which is a spin-off of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
The series will be available to stream on Prime Video.
On Monday, Kelce, 34, signed an adjusted contract with the Chiefs.
Travis Kelce’s next ring?
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TRAVIS Kelce has three Super Bowl rings – and a psychic matchmaker reckons he could soon add an engagement ring.
Speaking to The US Sun, the psychic stated that Kelce will soon propose to his music megastar girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
But she also predicted that they would both end up getting married twice.
“The stars are aligned for these two right now,” Deborah Graham told The US Sun.
“I see the relationship moving forward and moving to the next level.
“The difficulty is that I see two life paths for them and two rings – I see two marriages for both of them.”
The eight-time Pro Bowl tight end adjusted his current contract, which runs through the 2025 season.
The adjusted contract increases Kelce’s total money for 2024-25 from $30.25 million to $34.25 million, which guarantees $17 million at signing.
And the deal also guarantees “the majority of next year” on the third day of the 2025 league year, by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Kelce will turn 35 in October, when he and the Chiefs will compete for their first three NFL championships.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story