Jason Kelce, ESPN trying to eliminate one broadcast habit viewers keep noticing

There is no “I” in team and no “we” in the broadcast booth.

Jason Kelce is still learning about the latter. The former Philadelphia Eagles center has been criticized this season for his use of the word “we” when referring to his old team. It’s a habit that Kelce’s ESPN colleague, Pat McAfee, jokingly pointed out during a “Monday Night Football” contest between the Eagles and Chicago Bears.

Kelce repeatedly used the pronoun during his halftime analysis, something he apologized for after McAfee pointed it out.

It’s a habit that ESPN is trying to break, according to ESPN producer Jeff Dufine.

“We’ve tried to get the ‘we’ out of him,” Dufine told The Philadelphia Inquirer ahead of the Eagles’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

While it’s something that former players and coaches commonly do, the producer highlighted Kelce’s ability to pick up on the little things as a strength he brings to the booth.

“He sees the game really well,” Dufine said. “Just tell me what you’re seeing and we’ll support you the best way we can throughout the course of the game.”

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Week 3: Denver Broncos cheerleaders perform during the “Sunday Night Football” game against the Los Angeles Rams at Empower Field at Mile High.

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Week 3: The Maracanã Stadium gets set to host the International Series game between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Week 3: Corgi dog competitions take place during halftime of the game between the Detroit Lions and New York Jets at Ford Field.

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Week 3: A fan looks on during warmups prior to the game between the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio.

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Week 2: Singer Taylor Swift watches the game between the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

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Week 2: The Canadian and U.S. anthems are sung during a pregame ceremony before the “Thursday Night Football” game between Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills at new Highmark Stadium.

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Week 1: Singer Taylor Swift and actor Tom Cruise attend the “Monday Night Football” game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

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Week 1: Fans arrive ahead of the NFL game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (in Melbourne, Australia. The 49ers won the first NFL game played in Australia, 27-7.

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Week 1: Kim Thayil of Soundgarden and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam perform during halftime of the 2026 NFL Kickoff Game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at Lumen Field.

Prior to the NFL’s first London game of the year in Week 4, Kelce had never worked a full game in the broadcast booth for the masses to hear. He did have a preseason trial run with Dave Pasch and Kurt Warner, but only as a test before graduating to the real deal.

Kelce has been with ESPN since he retired in 2024, serving primarily as an analyst on “Monday Night Countdown.”

The network has tried to use his personality and integrate him in other ways, including a late-night show at one point. It wasn’t until the 2026 season that the network put Kelce in the broadcast booth, giving him a chance to be on the mic for its newly acquired international game package on NFL Network.

As always, the reviews have been mixed with Kelce in the booth. Some have enjoyed his perspective as a player not far removed from his playing days.

Others appear to have some Kelce fatigue, whether that’s thanks to his commercials, podcast, brother, sister-in-law or sudden emergence in the broadcast booth is anyone’s guess.

At the very least, Kelce is still connected to the game in retirement. And “we” haven’t decided how to feel about it yet.

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