ESPN is reshuffling its secondary NFL broadcast team, and Jason Kelce has quietly positioned himself as the most intriguing option to fill the void. The network’s new NFL deal eliminates “Monday Night Football” doubleheaders, shifting those seven extra games to likely international broadcasts that would pull current analysts Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick away from their studio commitments for days at a time.
Rather than stretch its most visible daily contributors even thinner, ESPN appears ready to build something new around the retired Eagles center.
Jason Kelce and Kurt Warner Could Give ESPN a Fresh Identity
Kelce has already proven he belongs in a booth. He called the 2026 Pro Bowl Games alongside Scott Van Pelt and Orlovsky, handling the flag football broadcast with the same ease he showed anchoring Philadelphia’s offensive line for 13 seasons.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported on developments signaling a significant shift in ESPN’s approach to its No. 2 NFL package.
“ESPN is expected to change its No. 2 NFL game-calling team of Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick Jr. due to its new NFL deal, according to sources briefed on ESPN’s plans,” Marchand wrote. “As part of a potential new booth, Jason Kelce has emerged as a dark horse candidate on the analyst side, according to sources briefed on discussions, while NFL Network’s Kurt Warner is also in the mix.”
A Kelce-Warner pairing would give ESPN something its current No. 2 booth lacks: complementary perspectives from different sides of the ball. Warner brings Hall of Fame quarterback credentials, two MVP awards, and more than 15 years of broadcasting experience across NFL Network and Westwood One radio.
Kelce offers the offensive line perspective that remains underrepresented in NFL booths, plus a charisma that made “New Heights” one of the most popular sports podcasts in America.
The logistics favor a new team. The Athletic reported that ESPN’s seven additional games under its new deal will likely be international matchups, which creates a scheduling nightmare for Fowler, Orlovsky, and Riddick.
“There is a high likelihood that these seven matchups will be international, which would not allow Fowler, ESPN’s No. 1 college play-by-play announcer, to be regularly available, while also taking Orlovsky and Riddick out of the country for their studio work for a few days,” Marchand noted. “Riddick also calls college football games, while Orlovsky does some college football studio work.”
Why Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick Need a Break From the Booth
What hasn’t been discussed enough is how unsustainable Orlovsky’s current schedule has become. He appears daily on “NFL Live,” makes regular contributions to “Get Up,” “First Take,” “The Pat McAfee Show,” and “SportsCenter,” handles college football studio work, and squeezes in the No. 2 booth assignments during multi-game weeks.
After calling Super Bowl 60 for ESPN’s international feed, Orlovsky posted a photo of himself in formal wear on a plane, acknowledging the grind that comes with being one of the network’s most visible faces.
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Riddick carries a similar load, balancing NFL studio work with college football analyst duties. Removing them from international travel obligations isn’t a demotion. It’s resource management.
ESPN’s studio programming depends on their daily availability, and sending them overseas for a week at a time undermines the very shows that made them valuable enough to consider for booth work.
Kelce, by contrast, has deliberately kept his schedule flexible. He declined a second season of his late-night show to explore other opportunities, covered the NHL Stadium Series in February, and took on a Masters Par 3 contest assignment in April. He’s been auditioning for a bigger role without committing to daily commitments that would conflict with international game broadcasts.
ESPN has Dave Pasch and Mike Monaco as play-by-play candidates, per The Athletic, but the analyst seat will define the identity of the new booth.
If Kelce gets the call, he’ll arrive with a personality that transcends football analysis and an authentic connection with fans that most broadcasters take decades to build.
