TEMPE, Ariz. — Former NFL kicker Jay Feely is leaving the broadcast booth after a decade and entering the political arena.

Feely told ESPN on Tuesday that he will run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District during the 2026 midterm election. He formally filed a statement of interest with the Arizona secretary of state earlier Tuesday, which is required before a candidate can begin collecting signatures to get on the ballot. Feely made a public announcement later Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m excited about this next chapter of my life,” Feely told ESPN. “I think that I feel God’s calling pressing me into service, and that’s really what I believe it is, is the civil service. I don’t believe we have enough politicians that get into political office not for self-serving measures and that get into political office and don’t want it to be a career, and that’s what I believe.

“I believe it is very much a civil service.”

Feely, 48, met with congressional Republicans in Washington, D.C., about a month ago so his wife, Rebecca, could get a better sense of what life with him as a politician would be like. When she was on board with Jay running, he committed to his decision.

Feely said he felt compelled to run for public office after the July assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. Feely also said Trump and Rep. Jim Jordan asked him to run for Congress in 2022, but Feely still had kids in high school. This time around, however, he and his wife will be empty nesters by the time the election cycle begins.

Feely — running for a seat vacated by Rep. Andy Biggs, who recently announced his candidacy for Arizona governor in 2026 — said his platform will be centered around securing the southern border and the economy.

I’m so grateful for my 10 years at @CBSSports
They took a chance on a kicker and allowed me to be in the booth calling NFL games
(Only the 2nd K ever to do that after the legendary Pat Summerall)
I enjoyed every minute and I will miss the people I worked with the most

— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 22, 2025

Feely spent the last 10 seasons broadcasting NFL games for CBS after a 14-year NFL career during which he kicked for seven teams, including the Arizona Cardinals from 2010 to 2013. He retired after spending the 2014 season with the Chicago Bears.

Feely said his NFL career prepared him for a run at public office in three ways.

He was an NFL Players Association player rep and spent time on the union’s executive committee, on which he said he fought for players’ rights to insurance. Feely also cited the pressure of being an NFL kicker as another trait that would help him in Congress. And he said spending a decade broadcasting games has helped his ability to speak publicly and communicate.

“And I think that’s one of your biggest jobs as a congressman is to be able to communicate to your constituents, be able to talk about the issues of the day and why you believe the way you believe and to be able to do it in a way that people can understand it,” he said.

Feely believes his name recognition will help his candidacy, along with the time he said he and Rebecca have spent working in the community.

Throughout last football season, Feely said he felt an emptiness as he broadcasted games around the country and found himself realizing that the challenge of preparing for calling them wasn’t as alluring as it had been. It didn’t have the same purpose that it had earlier in his TV career, Feely described.

“I felt that there was a calling to something greater and that there was a different platform that I wanted to try to utilize to have a positive impact on people,” Feely said.

“I’ve always been involved in politics and done a lot of different events for different politicians, local and national, and I’ve always liked thinking about political issues and talking about political issues, so, that’s not new, but leaving broadcasting after I’d worked so hard to get where I was and to step aside, and to say I think there’s a greater calling, yeah, that was different for me.”