JJ Watt has revealed that he and Jason Kelce sat down to discuss the recently retired NFL star’s “options” as he navigates his retirement from the NFL.
Kelce, who announced his decision earlier this month after 13 seasons with the Eagles, reportedly met with TV executives in Las Vegas during Super Bowl week.
And as he begins his post-playing life, don’t be surprised if he follows Watt on-screen – in addition to co-hosting the popular ‘New Heights’ podcast with his brother Travis.
“He’s an extremely talented guy, he’s got a lot of different options on the table,” Watt said in an interview with Mail Sport this week.
“We just talked a few days ago about some of the options and things he has planned. So I have no doubt that the world will see a lot more of him, which no one will complain about.’
JJ Watt spoke to Mail Sport about life after retirement, his investment in Burnley and more
Jason Kelce appeared on the Thursday Night Football broadcast for Bears-Panthers last year
The brothers’ “New Heights” podcast is extremely popular with football fans during the season
Watt, who was promoting his new ‘Great taste, less filling’ campaign at Miller Lite, retired in 2022 after a stellar career – mostly spent with the Texans – but has done his best to stay busy since then.
He joined CBS as an NFL analyst, invested in Premier League club Burnley with his wife Kealia last year and unsurprisingly has more time to spend with his family off the field.
Meanwhile, Kelce has also started to get the ball rolling for his next chapter Front office sports reported that he met with executives from ESPN and Fox in February. Kelce also attended Amazon’s Thursday Night Football broadcast during his bye week this season, and CBS and NBC are also said to be interested in speaking with him.
And while the former Philly star previously spoke about expecting to miss the “dopamine” that football gave him, Watt – by his own admission – has found other ways to at least recreate that feeling.
‘I don’t think you’ll ever really be able to relive the highs and lows of participating in sport from an athlete’s perspective, just because of the amount of work, the amount of energy, the amount of adrenaline – and I mean winning and losing, everything that comes with it,” he said.
Watt, his wife Kealia and their son Koa were seen at Burnley’s Turf Moor last weekend
Watt’s youngest brother, TJ (center), is a star linebacker for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers
“I don’t think you can recreate that out there. For me it’s been massive having Burnley, being part of the ownership group with Burnley in the Premier League, because I get so high and low every week. Almost more nerve-wracking and more adrenaline because it’s out of my control every week.
“And then I understand when I look at my brother (TJ of the Steelers), of course it’s so much fun to watch him play. And then try to find it wherever I can in my regular life. I still lift weights every day and compete with myself. I play golf with my friends and we suck, but we are still competitive. So it’s fun. And then of course I pour all my energy into my son and my wife. So it was great.’
Kelce, as Watt explained, is in a somewhat similar position as the former defensive end, with his brother Travis still starring for the Chiefs.
Jason clearly got a kick out of cheering on the Chiefs tight end last postseason, and Watt thinks the connection to the game will help him in his next phase.
“Yeah, I think (Jason) has an advantage… he’ll be able to watch his brother play, he’ll be able to go to more of his brothers’ games, and he’ll be able to live vicariously through him,” Watt said.
Jason loved cheering on his brother Travis in the offseason after the Eagles were eliminated
Watt joined CBS as an NFL analyst after finishing his distinguished playing career in the NFL
Jason Kelce is seen with his wife Kylie and their three young children at the Pro Bowl
“So that definitely helps to still be attached to the game in that way. The other advice I give is to spend time with your family and enjoy every second of it. Because you know, when we play, we spend so much time and energy on the sport and on every week in the game.
‘So now we have so much more time to spend with our family and our children. And I think he’s really going to enjoy that, he clearly looks like a great dad.
Watt wouldn’t elaborate on the details of his conversation with Kelce, other than to say the pair discussed hockey together and possibly rekindled the relationship. Backyard Sports video game seriesthat they have spoken about publicly before.
For now, we’ll have to wait to find out Kelce’s next move.
Just don’t expect him to stay out of the spotlight for too long.
“He’s a fan favorite for a reason,” Watt said. “And I think there are plenty of people who want to see more of him.”