Before the Denver Broncos hosted the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13, former NFL center and current ESPN analyst Jason Kelce crashed a tailgate wearing a Broncos jersey.
Kelce’s decision to rock orange and blue was a surprising one given that (a) he’s from Cleveland and (b) his brother, tight end Travis Kelce, plays for the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs.
Kelce explained his wardrobe on his Twitter/X page on Monday evening.
“Every tailgate I go into Monday Night Football, I wear a jersey honoring a former great of the home team. … Tonight I wore Tom Nalen’s jersey as one of the legendary centers of the game and a guy I looked up to and watched when learning the position as an undersized center.”
“I like honoring great players of this league while venturing into the tailgates of teams fans, but I told everyone in the tailgate I was rooting for the Browns, and when we were making our picks for who was going to win the game, I said ‘I can’t bring myself to pick against my hometown team’ and picked the Browns solely because of that.”
So there you have it. Despite rooting for the Browns, Kelce was still well-received by Broncos fans.
Thanks for stopping by the Flagman Tailgate @JasonKelce, you look great in a @Broncos jersey! pic.twitter.com/tCszfpd0Xp
— Bourbon, Broncos, And NO B.S. (@OrangeWeekly) December 2, 2024
Never thought I’d see Jason Kelce in a Broncos jersey but here we are.
Go Broncos! https://t.co/zhu3us0XSZ
— Strez (@Its_Strez) December 2, 2024
I will never talk bad about Jason Kelce. He was very nice to me and the broncos fans pic.twitter.com/71q0Gh9Rss
— Brian LeFev (@tommy_pasta9) December 2, 2024
Jason Kelce looks great in Broncos blue and orange #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/Jjcn2kPR0C
— Barstool Denver (@BarstoolDenver) December 3, 2024
Nalen played for the Broncos from 1994-2008, anchoring an offensive line that won two Super Bowls. Kelce played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2011-2023 and won a Super Bowl following the 2017 season.
