The Kelces on the New Heights podcast: The kelly green jerseys were great! The Eagles? Well …
Jason Kelce underscores how the NFL trade deadline — "Howie [Roseman] season" — was a little different this year, with the Eagles in selling mode.
It’s the midpoint of the season, the trade deadline has come and gone, and Jason and Travis Kelce have a lot of thoughts.
On Wednesday’s episode of New Heights, the brothers recapped what went down before the deadline, how some teams look heading into the back nine of the season, and, of course, the continued demise of the Eagles. Jason also recapped the New Heights tailgate Sunday at Stateside Live!
Former Eagle Beau Allen joined the Kelces for the discussion before actor John C. Reilly joined as a guest.
Set the stage
Before talking about the Eagles’ seventh straight loss, Jason recapped Sunday’s event and credited Stateside Live! for its tailgate-friendly setup.
“It was the best tailgate we’ve done from a New Heights perspective,” Jason said. “Stateside Live! there is the perfect setup for it. You get a ton of people in that area. Everybody’s excited for the game. There’s a stage.”
» READ MORE: Sumo wrestling, morning mac and cheese, and more highlights from Jason Kelce’s ‘New Heights’ tailgate
Jason talked about how the stage made the biggest impact, allowing everyone in attendance to have an unobstructed view of the sumo wrestling and hobby horsing.
He also began to think ahead with Travis for how they can take the tailgate on the road for away games as well. Their dream places included with the Bills Mafia at a Buffalo Bills game, back home in Cleveland, and in Los Angeles before a Rams game.
But no matter where they head next, Jason was adamant they needed to find or construct a stage for it and asked Travis to connect him with people who might be able to make that happen.
“I’ll see what my wife can cook up,” Travis said.
At least there’s kelly green
Sometimes it’s good to start with the positives first.
Allen wanted to share that he’s a big fan of the kelly green jerseys and is jealous he never got to wear one during his time with the Eagles. This then prompted a discussion about the best jerseys and how Jason prefers the more old-school looks across the league.
“Kelce doesn’t want to talk about the Eagles so bad that he went on a 20-minute rant about jersey colors,” Allen said.
» READ MORE: Howie Roseman hits a home run with Jordan Davis trade | Marcus Hayes
And although no one could blame him if he’d prefer to stay on the topic of jerseys, Jason did then dive into the Eagles’ loss, but there wasn’t much to say.
Instead, they mostly discussed the Jordan Davis trade from Monday.
Jason, Travis, and Allen talked about how this trade, as well as the others they made, show the Jaguars are deep in the hunt for a Super Bowl and willing to do what it takes to acquire the pieces needed to get there. Jason compared it to previous trade deadlines for the Birds, but acknowledged that the method has now changed.
“We’re in Howie [Roseman]-season mode. Unfortunately, it’s not the Howie season we’re used to seeing,” Jason said. ”We are now trying to build assets and prep for the future as well as we can, as well as keeping really good players home.”
Deadline deliberations
A few weeks ago, Jason was firm in his opinion that the then-undefeated Vikings weren’t a Super Bowl contender.
Now, he feels the opposite. All it took was Kirk Cousins, in what Jason called the “best move” for having an immediate impact on a team’s postseason hopes.
“The Vikings were not going to a Super Bowl with what they had on offense,” Jason said. “I just think that this is going to immediately elevate the Vikings’ offense to at least being mediocre, which makes them a Super Bowl-competing team with how good their defense is. That’s the reality.”
» READ MORE: Eagles’ trade of edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie to the Bengals falls through
Another team with Super Bowl hopes, Travis’ Chiefs, acquired wide receiver Josh Downs from the Colts in a move Jason said he was “a huge fan of” for Downs’ ability to be the Chiefs’ missing offensive piece.
“Got another wide receiver, another weapon in the building, got some more arsenal for Andy Reid to go out there and use,” Travis said. “It’s going to be so much fun getting another guy in the building.”
A crucial crossroads is here. The Eagles have reached the bye and, as timing would also have it, the NFL trade deadline, mired in their worst stretch of the Nick Sirianni era. There’s no doubt the franchise needs to course correct, but how? With who? Will players be on the move? Could coaches’ jobs be on the line? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner conduct an autopsy of the Eagles after their seventh straight loss — a 19-11 defeat to the New York Giants — and look at the big picture of an organization that has swiftly fallen far from its Super Bowl glory two years ago. Listen here.
Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
