In typical fashion, People’s 2023 edition of the Sexiest Men Alive issue includes several actors, such as Timothée Chalamet and Jamie Foxx, as well as a singer in Usher.
However, the magazine made a less-obvious choice for its annual hunk-fest in Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, a 36-year-old bearded Cleveland native who tips the scales at around 300 pounds.
‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ Kelce joked on social media in response to the news.
No, Kelce does not resemble the movie stars who typically grace the cover of People. And perhaps his brother Travis may have been a more logical selection, given the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is a reigning Super Bowl champion who happens to be dating Taylor Swift.
‘I’m not even the sexiest man in my family, let alone the sexiest man alive,’ Travis told People. ‘I mean what are we talking about here?’
The criteria for Sexiest Men Alive is rather vague. Those who have won have typically been actors or those who make a living off their good looks.
Some athletes have managed to work their way into the issue, albeit maybe not for the best reasons. In 1998, then-Chiefs quarterback Elvis Grbac made the cut, not because of his good looks, but rather because a People photographer confused him for his backup, the handsomer Rich Gannon, according to sportswriter Jeff Pearlman.
Kelce, of course, is not paid to be handsome, but rather to protect Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts while creating openings for Philadelphia’s running backs in the ground game. His persona is more blue-collar than his trend-setting brother, Travis, and instead of dating an international celebrity, is married with three children.
Asked if being selected for the issue is giving him a big head, Kelce joked: ‘My head did not need to get any bigger walking around the house, that’s for sure.’
But modesty aside, Kelce is not ashamed of his stout frame, and once appeared nude in the pages of ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue, alongside his fellow Eagles offensive linemen.
‘Being an offensive lineman, obviously you’re a little bit different than most athletes, so our body types are going to be drastically different,’ Kelce told ESPN.
Like other offensive lineman, such as former Cleveland Browns star Joe Thomas, Kelce does plan to shed some weight in retirement, which he admits may be on the horizon.
‘I would lose a lot of weight,’ Kelce said. ‘I’m not looking forward to not playing football, because I love playing football. But one thing I am looking forward to is being able to lose weight. I’m looking forward to feeling 60 pounds lighter.’
But there is one thing the former Super Bowl champion likes about his body.
‘I don’t have a big ass, but I think it’s a nice ass,’ Kelce said. ‘Or a nice butt, I’m sorry.’
In a rematch of last February’s Super Bowl, Jason’s Eagles and Travis’ Chiefs will square off on November 20 in Kansas City.
