Former NFL kicker Jay Feely has announced his intention to transition from sports to politics.
Feely reportedly plans to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona’s fifth congressional district in the coming 2026 elections. According to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss, the 48-year-old filed his statement of interest for the position on Tuesday with the Arizona secretary of state. On the same day, Feely officially announced his candidacy with a post on X.
I’m excited to announce my candidacy for U.S. Congress in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District.
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 22, 2025
I look forward to earning your vote 🇺🇸https://t.co/ghYLMzcHXF#TeamFeely pic.twitter.com/XayfhtGPkb
There were rumblings about Feely’s intentions to run last month. Rep. Andy Biggs, who currently holds the seat in Arizona’s fifth congressional district, is running to become the state’s Governor. Feely, a supporter and occasional golf buddy of President Donald Trump, will run as a Republican.
“I’m excited about this next chapter of my life,” Feely said of his decision, via 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.”
The Michigan alum went undrafted in 1999. He spent two seasons kicking in the Arena Football League before getting signed by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. The 14-year NFL veteran played for six different teams, including a four-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals from 2010 to 2013. Feely made 332 of his 402 career field goal attempts (82.6%).
Following his NFL career, Feely moved from the gridiron to the broadcast booth. He joined the CBS Sports Network in 2015, serving as both a sideline reporter and color commentator in his decade-long media career.
