New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

Offseason Plans, Wildcard Preview & Matt Damon on Brady, Affleck Bromance & Career Odyssey | EP 174

January 7, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Travis Kelce expressed disappointment over the Chiefs missing the playoffs but remains committed to playing if his body can heal, while Jason Kelsey defended the Eagles' decision to rest starters in Week 18 despite the resulting seeding implications. 
  • Matt Damon is promoting his new Netflix movie, "The Rip," which is a thriller based on a true story about a team seizing a massive, unexpected haul of cartel money. 
  • Matt Damon shared that he and Ben Affleck bought matching Jeep Grand Cherokees after selling the *Good Will Hunting* screenplay, only to find themselves nearly broke after taxes and fees shortly thereafter. 
  • Matt Damon and the hosts discussed the importance of prioritizing the best idea and being a good teammate in collaborative fields like acting and sports, contrasting this with stories of on-set misbehavior. 
  • Travis Kelce is taking time during the offseason to decide on his future, enjoying his first January without a job in a long time, while Matt Damon shared Michael Strahan's analogy about the physical toll of playing football ("35 car accidents a week"). 
  • Matt Damon shared that Michael Jordan's primary directive for the movie *Air* was that his mother "runs shit," leading to the immediate casting suggestion of Viola Davis for the role. 

Segments

Chiefs Season Recap & Records
Copied to clipboard!
(00:05:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Travis Kelce is processing the Chiefs’ disappointing season end while acknowledging his personal receiving milestones.
  • Summary: Travis Kelce described missing the playoffs as a frustrating and embarrassing feeling, especially after a season of high standards. He achieved significant milestones, becoming the third tight end with 13,000 receiving yards and tying Tim Brown for the longest streak of seasons with 75+ receptions (10 seasons). Kelce stated his immediate offseason plan is to rest his body before deciding on his future in football.
Eagles Week 18 Decision Analysis
Copied to clipboard!
(00:10:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Jason Kelsey defended the Eagles resting starters against the Commanders, citing injury risk mitigation over securing the two-seed.
  • Summary: Jason Kelsey argued that resting starters was the correct decision for the Eagles, as playing them risked injury in a game whose outcome was not guaranteed to secure the two-seed. He referenced a past season where playing starters in a meaningless game resulted in injuries to key players like A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts. The rest allows starters, especially the offensive line, to heal before facing a tough opponent like the 49ers.
Wildcard Weekend Preview
Copied to clipboard!
(00:15:21)
  • Key Takeaway: The brothers identified the Eagles vs. 49ers matchup as the most exciting first-round game, while the Jaguars were named the hottest team.
  • Summary: The playoff picture sets up the Eagles hosting the 49ers as the marquee matchup, highlighting an NFC rivalry. The Rams are traveling to Carolina after the Panthers clinched the division at 8-9, a scenario Jason Kelsey supports based on division winners earning home games. The Jacksonville Jaguars were cited as the hottest team entering the playoffs, having won their last several games.
Miles Garrett Sack Record Stamp
Copied to clipboard!
(00:22:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Miles Garrett earned the Stamp of the Week for breaking the NFL single-season sack record with 23 sacks.
  • Summary: Miles Garrett was awarded the Stamp of the Week for setting the NFL single-season sack record with 23 sacks, achieved by sacking Joe Burrow. Jason Kelsey noted Garrett’s incredible physical gifts, comparing him to a Power Ranger, though he considered Aaron Donald the hardest one-on-one block he faced. Layla Edwards, a Cleveland Heights native, was also recognized for becoming the first Black woman to play for the U.S. women’s national team at the Olympics.
Introduction to Matt Damon
Copied to clipboard!
(00:27:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Matt Damon is appearing to promote his new Netflix film, ‘The Rip,’ and is the first interview for the project.
  • Summary: Matt Damon was introduced as an Academy Award winner and Hollywood legend, promoting his new movie, ‘The Rip,’ premiering January 16th on Netflix. Damon confirmed that the brothers were among the first people to see the film, which is based on a true story about federal agents finding $20 million in cartel money during a seizure operation.
Damon and Affleck’s Early Career
Copied to clipboard!
(00:33:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck spent most of their initial earnings from selling the Good Will Hunting screenplay on two new Jeep Grand Cherokees.
  • Summary: Damon revealed that after selling Good Will Hunting for $600,000, the amount remaining after taxes, agents, and lawyers was under $150,000 each. The first major purchase they made was buying brand new Jeep Grand Cherokees, which quickly depleted their funds, forcing them to seek new jobs soon after. Their earliest on-screen appearance together was as uncredited extras in the movie The Good Mother.
The Odyssey and Training Regimens
Copied to clipboard!
(00:36:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Matt Damon lost significant weight (down to 167 lbs) for his role as Odysseus in The Odyssey, which was shot entirely on IMAX cameras.
  • Summary: Damon is playing Odysseus in the upcoming film The Odyssey, which required him to train rigorously and drop from his usual 185-200 lbs range down to 167 lbs. He compared the disciplined physical preparation for film roles to the routine of an NFL season. The Odyssey was the first movie ever shot 100% on IMAX cameras, requiring special equipment to manage the camera’s loud noise during dialogue scenes.
Patriots Future and Drake Maye
Copied to clipboard!
(00:45:59)
  • Key Takeaway: Matt Damon believes New England fans are not spoiled and would consider the current Patriots season a massive success even with a first-round playoff exit due to the bright future with Drake Maye.
  • Summary: Damon stated that New England fans are not expecting a Super Bowl win this year because the team is viewed as new and rebuilding around Drake Maye, calling the current success ‘found money.’ He praised Maye for having an ‘insane discipline’ similar to Tom Brady, noting Maye’s ability to dictate the tempo and make difficult decisions look easy. Damon compared the Patriots’ current situation favorably to the Green Bay Packers’ seamless transition from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers.
Boston Sports Fandom Ranking
Copied to clipboard!
(00:52:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Matt Damon’s childhood Boston sports fandom priority was Red Sox, followed by basketball, football, and hockey, though football dominates his viewing now.
  • Summary: Matt Damon ranked his childhood Boston sports fandom starting with the Red Sox, as baseball was the sport he played most, followed by basketball. He noted that while he played baseball and basketball most growing up, he spends more time watching football now, influenced by the Patriots’ success. He cited Carlton Fisk as his favorite childhood Boston sports athlete, referencing a scene about him in Good Will Hunting.
Fenway Park Seating Preferences
Copied to clipboard!
(00:54:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Sitting on the Green Monster at Fenway Park provides an intense, visceral experience of the game, especially hearing the impact of a line drive.
  • Summary: The best place to sit in Fenway Park is subjective, but Damon highlighted the new seats atop the Green Monster as ‘insane.’ He recounted sitting on the Monster during a 1-0 Yankees-Red Sox Wild Card game where the sound of a ball hitting the wall felt like a physical impact. Damon confirmed that Boston is an ‘unbelievable sports town’ based on the reaction he witnessed.
Super Bowl 52 Patriots Decision
Copied to clipboard!
(00:55:34)
  • Key Takeaway: The decision not to play Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl 52 remains a mystery, suggesting potential ego or disciplinary action overshadowed the best strategic move.
  • Summary: The discussion revisited Super Bowl 52, where Tom Brady had a career-best performance, yet the Patriots lost due to an inability to stop the Eagles. Both brothers questioned Coach Belichick’s decision to bench Malcolm Butler, speculating it might have been due to missing a meeting, which they deemed selfish given the stakes. They noted the game was exceptionally high-scoring, likely setting a record for the fewest punts in a Super Bowl.
Ego vs. Teamwork in Careers
Copied to clipboard!
(00:58:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Ego is the enemy of success in any field, as allegiance must always be to the best idea or the success of the collaborative project, not personal grievances.
  • Summary: Damon stated that ego must be set aside, emphasizing that in filmmaking, allegiance must be to the best idea for the project being made. He finds stories of on-set misbehavior mystifying because the goal should always be making the best possible product collaboratively. He compared a director’s role to a ‘benevolent dictatorship,’ holding the final 51% say, similar to a coach.
Travis’s Offseason Decision Process
Copied to clipboard!
(01:00:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Travis Kelce is taking time to let his decision on returning to the NFL ‘fizzle out’ and is enjoying his first January without a job in years.
  • Summary: Travis confirmed he is taking time to figure out his future, enjoying the break from the intense preparation cycle. He reflected on Michael Strahan’s advice about the physical toll of the game, noting that while it’s easy to watch from home and wish players would continue, the physical reality is a major consideration. He cited Philip Rivers’ late-career return as an inspiring example of courage.
Athlete Skill vs. Mental Acuity
Copied to clipboard!
(01:02:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Athletes often gain significant mental processing speed and knowledge as their physical skills decline, creating a difficult juncture for retirement decisions.
  • Summary: The brothers observed that players like Tom Brady get mentally better at the game as they age, making the game feel slower, even as physical decline sets in. Damon shared an anecdote about a retired journeyman second baseman who knew more about hitting at 37 than he did at 21, but his physical reaction time to a 95 mph fastball had vanished. This highlights the tragic reality that the peak mental knowledge often arrives after the physical peak has passed.
Advice for Aspiring Writers/Actors
Copied to clipboard!
(01:20:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Aspiring writers should read hundreds of screenplays to understand the form by osmosis, while actors should seek out good people to apprentice under.
  • Summary: Damon advised that writing is a trade that requires doing the work; aspiring screenwriters should read many scripts to understand the form, even those they dislike. He and Ben Affleck started writing because they were unemployed and had studied what worked on the page versus the screen. He noted that while the business landscape has changed drastically since his start, the core elements of loving the craft still matter.
Welcome to Hollywood Moment
Copied to clipboard!
(01:18:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Matt Damon’s ‘Welcome to Hollywood’ moment was seeing Stellan Skarsgård and Robin Williams perform dialogue they had written for Good Will Hunting.
  • Summary: Damon described the moment on the first day of shooting Good Will Hunting when he and Ben Affleck watched a scene between Stellan Skarsgård and Robin Williams. Hearing the heavyweight actors deliver their written dialogue brought Damon to tears, signifying that their project was actually being made. He compared this feeling to Rocky in the first Rocky film—they just wanted to go the distance, not necessarily win.