A former NFL player believes Travis Kelce could have a lucrative second act in sports media.
Nate Burleson has followed his 11-year playing career by working as an analyst on CBS Sports' NFL Today. The retired wide receiver sees Kelce as a natural candidate to make the same jump to TV.
Burleson playfully explained why he thinks Kelce would have interest in the role during an interview with Baker Machado of Front Office Sports.
"Because Travis Kelce is a receiver in a tight end’s body. And if we know anything about receivers, we love attention and we love to hear ourselves talk, and we love to listen to ourselves. So, he's going to continue to want to hear himself talk."
"He's gonna do amazing"
© Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Kelce wouldn't be the first family member to jump from the gridiron to the TV studio. His older brother and New Heights podcast host, Jason Kelce, joined ESPN months after retiring.
Burleson feels Travis is a more seamless fit for sports media than Jason, who he claimed "reluctantly" entered the TV sphere.
"Trav is the guy that they're gonna put on camera, and he’s gonna do amazing,” Burleson predicted. "He's articulate, he got the swag, he knows the game, and he's a master of being in front of a microphone given his podcast and the success."
With that said, Burleson doesn't think it'll be easy for a new employer to recruit Travis Kelce. He joked about reducing his salary to help land the tight end, who is returning to the Kansas City Chiefs for his 14th season in 2026.
"What I do know is whoever is going after Travis, they’re going to have to back that Brinks truck up, because one, he's made a ton of money in the league," Burleson said. "His lady [Taylor Swift] got paper, I'll be honest. So, he's not gonna show up for cheap change. And I just don't know if CBS got the budget, but I'd gladly take a pay cut. My agent didn't hear that, by the way."
