The NFL offseason is not just for the teams and players. It’s also for the media networks, some of them look to revamp their coverage and broadcasting teams.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand recently revealed that free agents like Kirk Herbstreit, Greg Olsen and J.J. Watt will surely be in the conversation for a shakeup at their respective networks.
Herbstreit’s contract with Amazon Prime Video for ‘Thursday Night Football’ will expire after the 2026 season.
On top of that, his broadcast partner, the legendary 81-year-old Al Michaels, is reportedly considering retirement at the end of the next season.
Typically, color commentators have been retired players or career media figures with prior broadcasting experience.
Enter Travis Kelce.
“Travis Kelce appears as if he will try to play another season before potentially trying broadcasting, where he would like to call games, but probably could pick up at least $15 million per year as a studio presence,” Marchand wrote. “…If Prime Video moves on from (Kirk) Herbstreit, it could look at the well-respected Greg Olsen of Fox and Watt, but the wild cards are Kelce and (Sean) McVay.”
Kelce’s massive popularity, media presence, notably with his podcast “New Heights”, and his crossover celebrity appeal, make him a top draw in the eyes of networks.
The Kelce brothers are huge names in the sports media world, and while the current expectation is that he will play the 2026 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s beyond that, that brings up a lot of questions.
His older brother Jason already works for ESPN, and there’s a strong possibility. Travis will join him following his playing career.
But one thing is for sure: Amazon Prime has their sites set on Travis.

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