Former NFL kicker, broadcaster Jay Feely running for Arizona House seat

Jay Feely has announced his second career change. After 14 seasons as an NFL kicker and 10 years as a CBS broadcaster, the 48-year-old announced Tuesday that he’s running for Congress. 

Feely, a Republican, is vying for Arizona’s 5th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm election.

The former kicker said last summer’s assassination attempt against President Trump inspired him to make a change. 

“When you see somebody who’s willing to literally, potentially give their life for our country, you start asking yourself, ‘What am I doing, and can I do more?’” Feely told reporters at his campaign launch. “That’s where my heart started to lean toward running for office.”

During his playing career, Feely worked on the executive committee of the NFL Players Association. That experience should help, he reasoned. 

“One of those times we had a lockout, and the players were locked out by the owners. We had to negotiate,” he told Fox News. “Those types of negotiations are similar to what goes on in the House and the Senate. You’re doing those types of negotiations all the time.”

Feely’s career saw him suit up for the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears. He became just the second former kicker to join an NFL broadcast team when he began giving sideline reports for CBS Sports. 

“I enjoyed every minute, and I will miss the people I worked with the most,” Feely wrote on X. 

The Michigan alum is running to fill a seat held by Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, who will leave Congress to run for Arizona governor. 

“I feel God’s calling, pressing me into service, and that’s really what I believe it is, is the civil service,” Feely told ESPN.