Originally appeared on E! Online
There’s one aspect to Jason Kelce’s weight loss that just isn’t feeling like a touchdown.
The former NFL player, 37, who played the majority of his collegiate career and the entirety of his professional career as an offensive lineman, joked that it’s “depressing” that his former collegiate jersey number of 60—a jersey number reserved for players in his position — just doesn’t look right on him anymore now that he’s slimmed down.
In the July 2 episode of New Heights, Jason and Travis Kelce had the opportunity to be the first to reveal their new football jerseys for their alma mater, the University of Cincinnati. However, when Jason opened his up and tried out the new style featuring his longtime jersey number, Travis pointed out the difference in his new look.
“You’re going to squeeze in this thing,” Travis joked before realizing Jason could put it on with ease and added, “This is what happens when you lose a little weight, guys. You can start squeezing into things a lot easier.”
READ Kylie Kelce Has Fierce Response to Fans “Drooling” Over Jason Kelce’s Thirst Traps
Travis went on to emphasize how surprisingly roomy the jersey looked on Jason — who shares daughters Wyatt, 5, Elliotte, 4, Bennett, 2, and Finnley, 3 months with Kylie Kelce — noting that the offensive lineman number just didn’t seem to fit his new stature.
“You got so thin that number 60 doesn’t look good on you anymore,” Travis said, as Jason agreed. “That’s how thin you got.”
Travis added, “I need I need a big old keg on the waist and long, long hair.”
As the pair continued to deliberate on what number would look best on Jason these days, they decided on a lower number — meaning a position like a linebacker or a long snapper.
“Do I go back to number 48? My linebacker number?” Jason questioned, referring to his time as a walk-on linebacker at Cincinnati. “Would that look better?”
Travis, a tight end wearing number 87 for the Kansas City Chiefs, agreed that “somewhere in the 40s” would likely be right for Jason these days. And as Jason looked down in disappointment, grieving his lineman status, he sighed, “so depressing.”
However, Jason has noted positives about his successful weight loss journey, which kicked off when he retired from the NFL in January 2024.
“I weighed 295 for the majority of my NFL career, and I look forward to losing some of those pounds,” he told GQ in June 2024. “I’m about 277. I’m almost 20 pounds down right now.”
And the ESPN analyst continued to explain that the work he had put in to lose the pounds had already been well worth it.
“It’s hard to imagine another nearly 20 pounds coming off, being honest with you. But my back already feels better,” he explained. “My knees already feel better. So another 20 pounds hopefully will make that much more adept at playing with my children.”
Jason Kelce is revealing what topics are off limits in his “New Heights” podcast with his brother Jason Kelce. “We try to be as open as possible within the parameters of not, you know, being too [invasive] on anybody’s personal lives. It’s a line that I think we both understand,” he told Access Hollywood’s Guest Correspondent Emily Orozco.
