He’s got a leg up on the competition.
Former NFL kicker Jay Feely — whose career included stints with the New York Giants and Jets — announced Tuesday that he’ll run as a Republican for Arizona’s 5th District seat in the House of Representatives.
“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,” he added.
“I believe it is very much a civil service.”
Feely, 48, is running in the 2026 election for the congressional seat currently occupied by former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) — who announced in January that he’s running for governor in the Grand Canyon State.
Arizona’s 5th District is considered a safe Republican seat, with Biggs and President Trump both winning the district by a 20 percentage point margin last November.
Feely is the third major GOP candidate to announce a bid for the 5th District.
Former state Rep. Travis Grantham and Army veteran and Trump 2020 campaign field organizer Alex Stovall announced their candidacies earlier this month.
Feely, who describes himself as “a proud conservative and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump,” has already secured at least one notable endorsement, from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
“I’m honored to have the endorsement of Congressman @Jim_Jordan, a fearless conservative and unwavering champion of the America First agenda,” Feely wrote on X. “His support is deeply meaningful as we launch this campaign to defend our freedoms and deliver real, lasting results for the East Valley.”
Feely told ESPN that Jordan and Trump both asked him to run for Congress in 2022, but he declined because his children were still in high school at the time.
He indicated that his kids being out of the house and the July assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pa., played a significant role in influencing his decision this time around.
“The lawfare that Democrats did against President Trump and you watched him get shot. That was a big moment for me. I remember starting to really think about running for office the day that he got shot,” Feely told Fox News Digital.
Feely, a former University of Michigan Wolverine, retired from the NFL in 2014 after a 14-year career, which saw him play for seven teams, including the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and New York Jets.
He’s spent the last 10 seasons in the booth, broadcasting NFL games for CBS.
“I’m so grateful for my 10 years at @CBSSports,” Feely wrote on X. “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.”
The former kicker also served as a rep on the NFL Players Association, the league’s union, and spent time on the body’s executive committee, fighting for players’ rights to insurance. F
Feely told ESPN that the high-pressure situations he’s experienced as an NFL kicker — where he made 332 out of 402 field goal attempts — and his broadcasting gig will serve him well Congress.
“[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 explained.
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