Jay Feely, who played in the National Football League for 14 years as a kicker, is running for a seat in the House as a Republican in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District.
Feely played from 2010 to 2013 for the Arizona Cardinals and also notched stints with the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and finished his career with the Chicago Bears in 2014.
He’s aiming to replace Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who is running for governor of Arizona in 2026, the same year as Feely’s House election. After his NFL career, Feely worked as a broadcaster for CBS Sports for 10 years before he departed the network on Tuesday.
Feely said President Donald Trump and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked him to run for Congress in 2022 but he declined. He’s now reversed course, citing the assassination attempt against Trump last July as the reason for his run.
“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,” he told Fox News Digital.
Feely said he’s running because he wants to be a civil servant and not to be a career politician.
“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,” he added.
Feely launched his campaign website on Tuesday, which touts his NFL career and laid out his political priorities. “Jay Feely earned a reputation in the NFL for his performance on the field, but it’s his integrity, commitment to serve, and dedication to American values that truly define him,” it says. “As a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and 15 year resident of the East Valley, Jay is now running for Congress to defend our freedoms, secure the border, and reignite the American Dream.”
“A staunch supporter of President Trump and the America First Agenda, Jay aims to bring the same toughness and discipline from his football career to Washington,” the website added.
Feely believes he’s uniquely qualified because of his time as a football player and broadcaster, as he thinks the experiences contribute to his calm under pressure and public speaking skills, respectively. He also spent time as the NFL Player’s Association representative, fighting for players’ right to insurance.
“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 already has the endorsement of Jordan and will hope to earn Trump’s support as well.
The Republican primary in Biggs’s district currently includes former Arizona House Speaker Pro Tempore Travis Grantham.
TRUMP SIDESTEPS PRIMARY FIGHTS WITH LONG HISTORY OF DOUBLE ENDORSEMENTS
The former kicker made 332 out of 402 field goals in his regular season career and nailed 449 extra-points out of 452.
While he never received a Pro Bowl berth, Feely was the subject of a Saturday Night Live sketch in 2005 that mocked him after he missed three field goals in an overtime loss against the Seattle Seahawks while he played for the Giants.
