The Philadelphia Eagles are back in the studio preparing some holiday cheer for your ears.
Turns out, NFL stars Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata are gearing up to release a second Christmas album — and TODAY has an exclusive first look.
TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones chatted with Kelce, Johnson and Mailata about what fans can expect — and if there happens to be a Taylor Swift collaboration in the future now that she’s Team Kelce.
The Eagles have songbirds in the trio, who released their debut album, “A Philly Special Christmas,” last year. The EP consisted of four holiday classics.
“We sing around a lot, like Lane and I will go in the same car after a game sometimes, and we’ll listen to songs,” Kelce told Sheinelle about how the idea spring from locker room talk and post-game sing-a-longs.
Australian offensive tackle Mailata first brought the house down at a team practice and stunned Kelce with his rendition of “White Christmas,” which led to the creation of the first Christmas album. It raised over $1 million for local charities.
While the second album is set, they wouldn’t say no to a cameo from Swift for their third. The singer is rumored to be dating Kelce’s younger brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“Maybe. Not this one, not this time around,” Kelce said, with Sheinelle adding, “Talk about raising money for charity. You could break the internet.”
“That would be pretty incredible,” replied Kelce. “But maybe in the future.”
While fans can’t expect a Swift collaboration for this new album, Mailata did a duet with Philly legend Patti LaBelle. He shared that he was “very nervous” to sing with “the queen.”
“I got stage fright,” Mailata said. “Every time I opened my mouth to sing with her, I just couldn’t.”
The NFL stars also take on Mariah Carey’s iconic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in their sophomore album.
“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 said. “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.”
The Christmas album is for the people. The money raised from the first album sales went to several charities that are near and dear to the athletes’ hearts. Last year, Johnson chose the Boys and Girls Club, sharing how when he was growing up in Texas, while his mom was at work, “That’s where I was. It was always just a place that I felt comfortable and was a good outlet for kids in my community.”
The second album’s proceeds will benefit the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The players are feeling the love from their Philly community.
“They just always support the team,” Johnson said, adding that fans understood how important this project was for them. “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.”
They’ve garnered a legion of new fans with the album, including Kelce’s little girls who loved to sing along.
“They sing along, they love them,” Kelce said. “(Four-year-old) Wyatt, all last Christmas, she always kept asking me to hear ‘Santa Claus is Coming To Town.’ They’re all into it for sure.”
CORRECTION (Oct. 23, 11:46 a.m. ET): A previous version of this story stated proceeds from the Christmas EP benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation. It has been updated to reflect that proceeds benefit the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
