The Philadelphia Eagles are gearing up to record another Christmas album — and they might have a surprise guest up their sleeves.
NFL stars Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata made their musical debut with A Philly Special Christmas in 2022, which raised over $1 million for local charities. A second record — A Philly Special Christmas Special — is in the works this year with 10 classic holiday songs and an original tune from Kelce, 35.
While Kelce thinks it would be “pretty incredible” to have Taylor Swift featured on the album amid her budding romance with his brother, Travis Kelce, fans will have to wait a little longer for a collab.
“Maybe. Not this one, not this time around. … Maybe in the future,” Jason told Today of Swift’s possible cameo on Monday, October 23. Today host Sheinelle Jones replied, saying, “Talk about raising money for charity. You could break the internet.”
Jason has no issue speaking publicly about his brother’s love life, previously teasing that Travis, 34, is “going above and beyond to be a gentleman” around Swift, 33.
“It was fun watching the whole world take it in, to be honest with you,” he told SportsRadio 94 WIP last month after Swift was first spotted at a Kansas City Chiefs game, noting that he has gotten “no inclination from Travis” about the nature of their relationship. (A source has since told Us Weekly that friends think Travis and Swift are “in love.”)
While Swift won’t be joining Jason in the studio, Philadelphia native Patti LaBelle will appear on one song.
Mailata, 26, recalled being “very nervous” to sing with LaBelle, 79, whom he referred to as “the queen.”
“I got stage fright,” Mailata told Today on Monday. “Every time I opened my mouth to sing with her, I just couldn’t.”
The teammates also took on Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which proved to be a major challenge.
“It was kind of nerve-racking at first, just because, [I] can’t really do the same key as the Queen of the Holidays,” Mailata joked. “She’s incredible. So, we kind of had to dial it back a couple of keys and, you know, put our own tastes on it. And I thought it turned out really good.”
Jason explained that the idea to produce a Christmas album actually came from his time spent with Johnson, 33, and Mailata off the field.
“We sing around a lot,” he shared. “Like, Lane and I will go in the same car after a game sometimes, and we’ll listen to songs.”
Jason also gushed that his three daughters — he shares Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 2, and Bennett, 7 months, with wife Kylie Kelce — “love” the Eagles’ holiday songs.
Along with being a fun and festive project, their sophomore album will have an important charitable aspect. The proceeds from the record sales will support the Eagles’ Autism Foundation, and Johnson has no doubt that Eagles fans will come through with big donations once again.
“They just always support the team,” the offensive tackle said on Today. “Once they found out it wasn’t a joke, and it was actually some little bit of talent on there and ability, it [meant] more.”
A Philly Special Christmas Special is set to be released on Friday, November 3.
