Jason Kelce has been an omnipresent force on ESPN since retiring from the NFL, which included a divisive appearance on their broadcast of the 2026 Masters Tournament.
Kelce, 38, was a focal point of the network’s coverage of the annual Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, April 8. The former football star acted as a caddie, hit a tee shot of his own and mingled with fans at Augusta National Golf Club.
The reviews for Kelce’s appearance were decidedly middling.
“ESPN used to be Stuart Scott, Chris Berman, Rick Eisen and so many others that built careers with charisma and talent. Now they force this crap down people’s throats … and it’s not even remotely entertaining,” one viewer wrote. “I wouldn’t be surprised if The Masters haven’t already made the phone call to make sure this never happens again.”
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Another wrote, “Espn continuing to force feed us Jason Kelce schlock. The entire thing is so degrading and unbecoming, and has been for quite awhile.”
“ESPN should do an alternative stream where you don’t have to see Jason Kelce the entire time,” one fan suggested. “It would do numbers.”
Jason also appeared live on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show during his time at Augusta on Wednesday, where he talked about evolving his golf game with his brother, Travis Kelce.
“I’ve been playing with my brother,” Jason said. “Obviously he’s in his offseason. We got down in Florida, we’re getting after it a little bit. Every time I think I got it figured out, there’s something else that goes wrong.”
Jason said his golf game is “in a spot where I think it’s getting better, but every time I look at my score it reminds me that it’s not.”
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Despite his frustrations with the sport, Jason recently revealed he passed the game down to his eldest daughter, Wyatt.
“Excited for The Masters this week, so went out to the MGOLF driving range on West Chester Pike last night with Wyatt,” Jason shared via Instagram on Tuesday, April 7. “It was her first time with a real club, and I’ve never seen a prettier swing. She also won closest to the pin and got a mint chocolate chip waffle cone as a result.”
Jason and his wife, Kylie Kelce, share daughters Wyatt, 6, Ellie, 5, Bennett, 3, and Finn, 12 months.
Critics of Jason’s broadcasting career might want to brace themselves, as The Athletic reported on April 2 that the former Eagles star — who cohosts ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown — is a “dark horse” candidate to ascend to the color analyst role on the network’s No. 2 NFL broadcasting crew.
