Jason Kelce contains multitudes.
The retired Philadelphia Eagles star — now a Monday Night Countdown commentator — showed off his skills on the saxophone ahead of the Baltimore Ravens-Detroit Lions showdown at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
While cameras rolled during the Monday, September 22 pre-game broadcast, Jason, 37, accompanied the Ravens’ marching band on a jaunty rendition of the Monday Night Football song. He sported a purple uniform and black hat, with the chin strap grazing his nose. When the song ended, he cheered and high-fived band members.
The NFL shared clips of Jason’s performance via Instagram, as did his brother Travis Kelce, who posted a video on their “New Heights” account.
“LETS F***ING GOOOOOO!!! He’s killlin it!!!” Travis, 35, exclaimed in the comments section.
The baritone sax is one of Jason’s not-so-hidden talents. As a student at Cleveland Heights High School, he played the instrument in jazz band and the symphonic winds ensemble. Jason and his former Eagles teammates have since formed a musical group dubbed The Philly Specials, which released three holiday albums.
In a 2024 episode of “New Heights” — the podcast that he and Travis cohost — Jason discussed the significance of the sax in his life.
“Mr. Baker was the band director, as well as the Jazz Ensemble director and man, I tell people this all the time,” Jason said. “I really think playing band and playing music in general has allowed me to excel in sport and other things, because, as with anything, I encourage kids to play as many sports, do as many extracurriculars as you can that you enjoy, because you end up drawing things from each one of those that is unique and different.”
Through music, Jason learned “the importance and the value of practice” — and making mistakes on the path toward improvement.
“The first time you pick up that instrument, then try to play anything, you are going to be terrible,” he said. “But the more you practice at it, you will get good. Like, it’s that simple. It’s just so right in your face. How much that affects how you play.”
Jason’s wife, Kylie, said in an 2024 interview with Glamour that he “was a well-rounded guy” during high school. “Not a lot of people know that, but he played the baritone saxophone, so if [their four daughters] want to get into music and art, we will fully encourage that,” she said, adding, “We’ll try everything just to see what sticks.”
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