WATCH: Dom DiSandro gifts Jason Kelce a South Philly Tuxedo ahead of Eagles-Falcons
Jason Kelce has a new job after retiring from the NFL, and it involves a much more business-casual style of dress, a distinct change from the guy who wore sweatpants and flip-flops on most game days.
During his first night on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown in Week 1, Kelce made national news after forgetting his suit and tie in his truck. With Philadelphia and Atlanta on the docket for Week 2, Eagles security Chief Dom DiSandro ensured Kelce was adequately outfitted, gifting Kelce with a South Philly Tuxedo.
Kelce will appear on Monday Night Countdown weekly alongside anchor Scott Van Pelt and fellow analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark. Week 2 shows that Kelce doesn’t necessarily have to buy into the idea of a suit and tie.
Jason Kelce had a slight suit and tie setback prior to his Monday Night Countdown debut and had to hit the mall for another dress shirt after leaving his in the truck
Jason Kelce has a new job after retiring from the NFL, and it involves a much more business-casual style of dress, a distinct change from the guy who wore sweatpants and flip-flops on most game days.
Kelce makes his debut appearance on the âMonday Night Footballâ pregame show every week alongside anchor Scott Van Pelt and fellow analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark. ESPN wants Kelce to be Kelce, and he started things off in true offensive lineman fashion, forgetting his dress shirt and ensemble in the truck.
The future Hall of Fame center admitted on Monday night that he had to visit a local shopping mall to purchase a shirt from Lulumon, Ryan Clark joked.
â@JasonKelce is wearing a shirt he got at the mall because he left his travel bag in the truck.â
Kelce will appear on Monday Night Countdown every week alongside anchor Scott Van Pelt and fellow analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark, and it’ll be interesting to see if Kelce buys into the idea of a suit and tie.
There’s a storied tradition that is part of the lore of playing a chunk of one’s career in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. The popularity the brand affords stars is evident in how well they often do in gaining media opportunities as retired personalities. …
There’s a storied tradition that is part of the lore of playing a chunk of one’s career in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. The popularity the brand affords stars is evident in how well they often do in gaining media opportunities as retired personalities. It doesn’t always work out for the best, see Emmitt Smith and Jason Witten’s short stints in front of the cameras, but after the extra endorsement offers die down, there’s a clear path to remaining relevant in the media world.
There are several who have proven very good at the job of explaining football to the masses. In various roles across multiple outlets, former Cowboys bring live game analysis, review and preview editorials, and function as another arm of the entermainment complex known as the NFL. Here are our 2024 rankings of those media members who formerly wore the star.
Marcus Spears (ESPN)
Ditka had been a staple on ESPN for a while, after first appearing on NBC Sports and CBS Sports following his retirement from coaching. The former Cowboys tight end had an illustrious career in all phases, but not rarely makes on-screen appearances.
Johnson had been a staple on ESPN for years, dating back to 2007 as an on-air analyst and radio show host. That relationship ended in 2023 and he since joined Skip Bayless as a Stephen A. Smith replacement on Undisputed.
The former Cowboys head coach eased right into a gig with NBC. He serves as both a studio analyst for pre and post-game histrionics, while also getting in the booth for college football and the other professional leagues that have appeared on the network.
Baldinger was a reserve lineman for the Cowboys the first five seasons of his career. He’s been on NFL Network since the middle of last decade but he ranks highly on this list for his use of social media. Baldinger’s tweets, each week, highlight a handful of standout performances from the slate of games. The way he breaks down technique and skill into digestible nuggets for the viewing public make him one of the top followers among NFL media.
If a Cowboys fan is interested in having a completely biased supporter of the organization to balance the litany of talking heads that hate the team, Michael Irvin has been their guy. The Hall of Famer makes no apologies for his level of Dallas love and brings it on air on a regular basis. Irving was recently let go of his NFL Network gig as the league-owned media company has purged a ton of their on-air talent. Now Irvin can be found as a rotational guest on FS1.
The Moose was surprisingly good in the booth off top, but he’s appeared to hit a ceiling of sorts. He was never on the top team, but he has always been solid and gotten most of the Cowboys’ early game assignments when they rarely kickoff at noon central time. Johnston has likely been bumped down to at least Team No. 3 with the arrival of Tom Brady bumping Greg Olsen.
After the first two years of his career, Romo seemed on the trajectory to be the next John Madden. Going from the field to the booth, Romo’s ascension to a mastermind in the pocket clearly translated to the microphone game. His ability to dissect plays based on formation and defense and knowing the checks the QB would make were elite cinema for the viewing audience.
It was groundbreaking and deserved all of the accolades.
Since though, Romo’s seemingly slipped in his preparation and has been heard missing what has actually happened on the play. He’s still very entertaining but some of the shine is gone.
Aikman joined the FOX booth all the way back in 2002, pairing with Joe Buck and Chris Collinsworth. He and Buck have been joined at the hip, and when their contracts were up they moved over to ESPN together to host Monday Night Football. AIkman had been the gold standard for color commentary until Romo’s arrival, and in all honesty has regained the throne in the past couple of seasons.
He’s often accused of both being too hard on the Cowboys and too soft on them, meaning he’s probably doing a great job when both sides are mad at you.
Shocked? Shouldn’t be. The former Dallas first round pick immediately moved to the broadcast game following his retirement in 2013. First on the SEC Nation and then the SEC Network, Big Swaggu made his way to the main ESPN stage starting in 2014 and has been prominently featured since around 2017.
While he’s not in the broadcast booth, Spears is an analyst for several of ESPN’s shows and is most known for providing quality, knowledgable, entertaining takes without devolving into sensationalistic muck that is often connected with the four-letter network’s productions. His work along with that of Ryan Clark and Mina Kimes are proof that ESPN can still provide top-tier analysis despite the network’s addiction to giving the lowest-common denominator fans what they crave; drama without substance.
A couple of former LSU players will be prominently featured in ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage
There are some updates coming to ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown this fall.
Former LSU football players [autotag]Marcus Spears[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryan Clark[/autotag] are joining the show as analysts. Spears and Clark have risen to prominence on ESPN the last few years after lengthy NFL careers.
Spears got his start on the SEC Network in 2014 but quickly rose through the ranks to become one of ESPN’s go-to voices. Both Clark and Spears have appeared on ESPN’s morning show “Get Up.”
Another former LSU player, [autotag]Booger McFarland[/autotag], will not be part of ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage this year.
SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt is also set to join the production.
Scott Van Pelt is the new host of Monday Night Countdown. Joining him on MNCD for the first time will be Emmy-winner Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears, while Robert Griffin III, Michelle Beisner-Buck, Larry Fitzgerald and Alex Smith also return to the show.
Spears and Clark were teammates on the 2001 LSU team that won the SEC championship on its way to a Sugar Bowl victory.
Spears won a national title with LSU in 2003.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1389]
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
It was an exciting day in Baton Rouge as the Tigers capped off their spring practice.
LSU ended its spring camp on a high note on Saturday with a public scrimmage in front of the Tigers faithful.
Fans were treated to a couple of impressive highlight plays â namely a one-handed grab from [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] that led to a 70-yard touchdown as well as a pick-six from true freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag].
Quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] impressed leading the first-team offense, while backup [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] wasn’t shabby with the second-teamers, either. Both threw two touchdown passes and were very efficient.
There was also a lot of star power on hand for the game with [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Spears[/autotag] and [autotag]Clyde Edwards-Helaire[/autotag] in attendance, to name a few.
Here were the reactions online from LSU alumni, fans and media.
The Rams are going through some pain right now, but Marcus Spears says it was worth the cost
Winning Super Bowls is hard. Of the 32 teams in the NFL, 12 of them have never won one. The Rams are one of the 15 teams that has won multiple rings, most recently going all the way in 2021 after acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Lions.
They went all-in to win that championship, landing Stafford, Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. two years ago. It was in line with the aggressiveness they showed in previous years, often trading picks for proven players.
The Rams are feeling the pain of that roster-building approach now after going 5-12 last season and staring another tough year in the face in 2023. But if you ask former NFL defensive lineman Marcus Spears, he says it was all worth it â even if the Rams have to rebuild now.
âYou pay the price, right? And the price was a Super Bowl,â Spears said on ESPN. âI played nine years. I wish I had one. I wish a team wouldâve sold out for me to get one. I wouldnât mind them sucking right now. I played for the Cowboys. We ainât win a Super Bowl in a hundred years. I would take one. Just one. And the Rams were able to get to the mountain top.â
.@mspears96 still loves the Rams' move for a Super Bowl even if they may be paying for itđ
"The price is a Super Bowl. I played 9 years, I wish I had one. I wish a team would've sold out … You don't think I would've love to lay in some damn confetti … like @Realrclark25?" pic.twitter.com/Pn4dZDi26v
Even with as poorly as the 2022 season went for the Rams, Spears says it was worth it. And when Aaron Donaldâs career is over, people wonât be talking about his 2022 season. Theyâll be talking about the Super Bowl he won and the way he played in that game against the Bengals.
Spears loves what the Rams did to reach the pinnacle of the sport, even if it did have a cost.
âThey have a Super Bowl championship, OK?â He said. âNobodyâs gonna ask Aaron Donald about, âHow do you feel about Baker Mayfield signing with the team the year after?â Theyâre gonna ask him about the damn Super Bowl. I love what the Rams did. They gotta go through some pains before they get back on their feet, but Iâd take a Super Bowl for that.â
This is the feeling many Rams fans have. While some are frustrated by the current state of the team, most fans understand the price was worth the ring.
ESPN NFL analyst, Marcus Spears, shares high praise for Alabama QB Bryce Young
Earlier this month the Carolina Panthers traded with the Chicago Bears to acquire the first overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft, but nobody really knows who they prefer.
Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud has been heavily linked recently and Anthony Richardson of Florida has recently flown up the mock drafts, but many would consider Alabama Crimson Tide’s [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] as the best QB in the draft.
Young’s height has been a concern for a handful of executives in the league, but ESPN analyst, Marcus Spears, believes teams should see past that. Spears said on NFL Live today,
“What I’ve watched from Bryce Young tells me he’s the best quarterback coming out in this draft. I get the concerns about the size and the stature but watching him at Alabama and doing what he’s been doing for two years and remember he didn’t have the luxuries of having the type of receivers that we’ve grown accustomed to Alabama having.”
Of all the quarterbacks in contention to be selected in the first round, Bryce is the only Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion and people need to remember just how dang good he is on the field.
Bryce Young is @mspears96' "clear" favorite for No. 1 overall đ¤ đ
"What I've watched from Bryce Young tells me he's the best QB coming out in this draft. … I think this year may even speak more to who Bryce Young is than his previous year." pic.twitter.com/UQMD3F9pXt
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.
Spears says Seattle should stick with Smith as their long-term starter unless they’re blown away by one of the QBs in the 2023 NFL draft class.
Geno Smith should be starting for the Seahawks at quarterback Week 1 next season. That’s what former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Marcus Spears thinks, in any case.
Spears says Seattle should stick with Smith as their long-term starter unless they’re blown away by one of the QBs in the 2023 NFL draft class. Watch.
"I think they should re-sign and get to a long term deal with Geno. I don't think last year was a fluke."
We agree that Smith should be the starter for now, but does that mean they should pass on a strong quarterback class? Also, for how much and for how long should Geno be inked in as the Seahawks’ QB1?
The absolute basement for the ongoing contract talks is the value for the franchise tag – which is pegged at a little under $32.5 million for quarterbacks this year. Both parties stand to benefit from avoiding that, though. For one thing, tagging Smith would be terrible for Seattle’s cap situation this year. At the moment they only have around $31 million in total cap space for the season, so they couldn’t afford to tag Smith and also sign their rookie class without making some serious cuts.
Smith can also make a lot more guaranteed money (which is all that really matters to players) if he comes to a longer-term deal with the Seahawks. His signing bonus alone is likely to be at least $50 million. As far as annual average goes, Smith’s fair market value is somewhere in the $40 million per season range. If Seattle’s won’t go there number isn’t too far from that, both sides should be able to work something out relatively soon.
For now, both sides say that the negotiations are going well.
Outside of a return to Green Bay, two former NFL players and current ESPN analysts see the Commanders as the best option for Rodgers.
Here we go again. Another offseason of will Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers play? Will Rodgers play for the Packers or another team? Which team would Rodgers want to play for?
Thus far, Rodgers hasn’t decided if he’s going to play in 2023. He’s under contract for the hefty sum of $59 million guaranteed next season, but only a cap number of $31 million. While Rodgers is open to returning to the Packers, he doesn’t want to go through a rebuild.
If Rodgers decides to play, he’ll have plenty of options â so will the Packers. Green Bay could turn to former first-round pick Jordan Love at quarterback and trade Rodgers for multiple first-round picks.
Which teams would be in the market for Rodgers? Well, virtually any team with a need under center. The Washington Commanders, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and others would be interested in Rodgers â if available.
The Commanders were interested last offseason. Rodgers and the Packers agreed to a new three-year deal, and everyone was happy. Washington settled for a trade for Carson Wentz, and that went as badly as expected.
It’s another offseason, and the Commanders have a need at quarterback.
Domonique Foxworth, a former NFL cornerback for seven seasons, is now a member of the media. In an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” Tuesday, Foxworth and fellow former NFL player Marcus Spears were asked the following question by host Mike Greenberg:
“If his only priority is where do I have the best chance to win a championship next year, Marcus, which of these teams do you go with?” Greenberg asked.
Foxworth listed his top-five options for Rodgers in 2022, with Green Bay at No. 1. No. 2? The Washington Commanders.
In response to Greenberg’s question, Spears said the following.
“The Washington Commanders,” he said. “They’ve been trying to find a quarterback. They got a really good defense, a really good defensive line. They got really good weapons on the outside; Terry McLaurin is a very underrated guy we don’t talk about much because they don’t win a lot of games. They got Dotson out of Penn State, who is really good, as well. Aaron Rodgers would have his weapons, his backfield; he would be under new ownership that would probably be willing to pay him some money. And the other thing is this; he would play in the NFC East; we had three teams go into the playoffs, so why not four?”
Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum didn’t believe the Packers would trade Rodgers to an NFC team.
“They would trade him to the CFL before they would trade him to an NFC team,” Tannenbaum said.
Welcome to the offseason.
.@Foxworth24 gives us his top five destinations for Aaron Rodgers âď¸
The countdown continues with standouts in the trenches and a couple of hard-hitting linebackers.
Earlier this year, I began a countdown of the top 101 players in LSU football’s history.
The countdown resumes today, as we enter the top 30 and really start looking at the best of the best. Before we get started, a reminder of the notes and criteria used when putting this list together.
I’ve tried my best to avoid recency bias.
Emphasis was placed on players who received all-American honors and other accolades. Leaders of championship teams received a boost as well.
I gave coach and eyewitness quotes about players significant emphasis.
Players who made significant contributions over multiple years were given priority over single-season stars. Production mattered more than talent.
