This former Cardinals player is eyeing an Arizona congressional seat
Jay Feely, a former professional football player, is considering a bid for one of Arizona's solidly Republican seats in U.S. Congress.
Feely, whose NFL career included four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, is laying the groundwork to run in the state's 5th Congressional District, a seat that will soon be vacated as its current officeholder, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is running for governor in 2026.
Feely, 48, is "seriously considering" a bid for the seat and will make a final decision sometime in the next three months, GOP strategist Brian Seitchik told The Arizona Republic on Feely's behalf.
He played 14 years in the National Football League, including several seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. Since then he has worked as a sports commentator.
He's floated the idea of entering politics for years. In a 2009 television news hit he criticized then-President Barack Obama and said he was considering a political career but wanted to prioritize his family.
More recently Feely has found his way into President Donald Trump's orbit.
He has joined the president for golf at Trump's clubs in Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster, New Jersey, praising Trump's "earnest desires for our great country."
And Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the Trump-linked Republican firebrand and founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, "enthusiastically introduced" Feely to conservative members of Congress when the candidate visited D.C. in March, Seitchik said.
Like Brett Favre, another former football star and Trump supporter, Feely played for the 2008 New York Jets team while it was owned by businessman and GOP donor Woody Johnson, who Trump went on to nominate as ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Feely has lived in the district with his wife and kids for more than 10 years, Seitchik said.
Arizona's 5th Congressional District covers much of the East Valley, including parts of Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek and Apache Junction.
About 20% of active voters in the district are Democrats, 45% are Republicans, and 35% are not affiliated with a political party, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.