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topicnews · September 6, 2024

Eli Manning jokes Jason Kelce ‘probably hopes’ Travis ‘messes it up’ (exclusive)

Eli Manning jokes Jason Kelce ‘probably hopes’ Travis ‘messes it up’ (exclusive)

Brotherly love is strong in the Kelce and Manning families!

Before Jason Kelce’s broadcast debut on ESPNs Monday evening countdownEli Manning shared with PEOPLE his predictions on first-year analysts’ comments when Travis Kelce takes the field.

“He and Travis have a great relationship,” Eli tells PEOPLE exclusively at a coronavirus event in New York City on August 27. “Of course he wants them to win and play well, but he’s probably hoping Travis stumbles or makes a mistake one time just so he can call him out,” he jokes.

As the brother of fellow quarterback Peyton Manning, Eli knows what it’s like to share the field with a sibling and couldn’t help but take a dig at the Kelce brothers as there’s a new football dynamic in their family since Jason retired from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jason will make his broadcast debut as a pre-game analyst on September 9th at 6 p.m. ET on Monday evening countdownAs part of his multi-year deal with ESPN, he will be behind the desk every week throughout the regular season.

Jason and Travis Kelce.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty


“I’m happy for him and his new journey and his path to television,” Eli says of Jason.

“He’s a character,” Eli tells PEOPLE about Jason. “He already does incredible work on the podcast and in everything he does, so I think he’ll just be natural,” he says of Jason’s New heights Show he shares with Travis.

Eli is entering his third year as a broadcaster and his main advice for Jason ahead of his TV debut is to “let your natural personality come out” – but stresses that the Super Bowl winner “has no problem with that.” He adds, “So I think he’s going to do a great job.”

Jason Kelce;

Marcus Ingram/Getty; Mitchell Leff/Getty


Additionally, Eil says Jason’s experience as a longtime center will help him with his commentary behind the microphone as an analyst. “He also plays smart in the trenches on the offensive line, so he knows defense, he knows leverage, he knows run play and pass protection.”

And Eli thinks it’s “good” that Jason has plans for when he retires. Eli, who is in his shoes himself, explains: “This is what we’ve done our whole lives. To stick with it, he’ll know the players because he played against them last year – so everything that’s happening will be pretty fresh in his mind, which is good.”

Eli Manning, Corona.

corona


Although Eli officially retired from the NFL in January 2020 after 16 seasons with the New York Giants, he has remained loyal to the sport in other ways – Manningcast aside! The former quarterback has teamed up with Corona to launch Lime Wedge Football, a tabletop game perfect for pregame parties this season.

Lime Wedge Football is similar—except participants flick rubber limes (with strings on the “shell”) instead of paper. The limited edition set (signed by Eli) comes with a table runner designed to look like a football field, while the goal posts can be made from bottles or similar.

Eli came up with the idea quite spontaneously when he was filming a Corona commercial last year. “We were just joking around, eating limes and starting to snap,” he says of the game, which is very similar to “old paper football.”