There has been speculation about what will happen with Nate Shelley in Ted Lasso season 3 now that he’s left AFC Richmond for West Ham, but a more important story is Keeley Jones deciding to leave her position as the team’s PR manager. Nate’s shift in character and plotlines as a part of a new club will be intriguing, but Keeley's storyline in season 3 deserves to be talked about. Though Nate's betrayal and departure were a major part of the Ted Lasso season 2 finale, Keeley's future career plans are also something to anticipate in the next season.
Throughout Ted Lasso season 2, Keeley worked hard as the head of marketing for AFC Richmond, doing her best to get brand deals for the players. In season 2, episode 12, the finale of the season, the investors behind Bantr, the dating app Keeley has been promoting, reveal to Keeley that they’re interested in funding her own PR firm. After some emotional conflict, and with encouragement from Higgins and Rebecca, Keeley decides to leave AFC Richmond and take this new job.
Even though Nate leaving AFC Richmond has been a talking point since the end of Ted Lasso season 2, it's arguable that Keeley leaving is a more important storyline in the show. Leaving AFC Richmond will help Keeley's character grow and change, but it also opens the door to new characters for her to interact with. In the season 2 finale of Ted Lasso, Rebecca, who has developed a close friendship with Keeley over the past two seasons, gives Keeley some guidance: "A bit of advice for being a boss. Hire your best friend." It's possible that season 3 could introduce a character to be that best friend for Keeley, giving her the chance to create another interesting relationship on Ted Lasso. There could also be other employees introduced to the cast in order to round out Keeley's new workplace. Keeley being the boss of her own company is a fun change for the character, and it'll be intriguing to see the types of employees she ends up hiring as well as the dynamics she'll have with them.
Keeley starting her own PR firm in Ted Lasso season 3 also means she'll have her own clients to work with. Now that she's not working with AFC Richmond anymore, Keeley has a wider pool of clients to choose from. There are actresses, musicians, models, or even other athletes that Keeley could represent as clients for the firm. Ted Lasso could invent fictional celebrities for Keeley to represent, or it could incorporate actual celebrities, as it did in season 2 with the Gary Lineker and Thierry Henry cameos in Coach Beard's dream in episode 9, "Beard After Hours," or the real-life soccer commentators Roy works with on Soccer Saturday before returning to AFC Richmond as an assistant coach. Whether the show uses real celebrities, fictional ones, or a mix, it will be interesting to see how Keeley interacts with new clients.
Fans have speculated about the fate of Roy and Keeley's relationship next season, and Keeley leaving for a new job could affect their relationship, especially since she'll be busy running her own business. Nate betraying Ted and leaving the team will majorly affect the plot, but on a personal level, Keeley leaving the team is more important because it will affect Roy. The couple struggled in Ted Lasso season 2 because Keeley felt like she didn't have any space from Roy due to seeing him at work and at home, so it's possible that having her own job separate from Roy could be good for the couple. Nate doesn't have any romantic relationships like Keeley's, so the stakes don't feel as personal. His storyline isn't unimportant, but Keeley's storyline has potential for exciting new characters as well as relationship developments.
Ted Lasso season 3 is sure to shake things up, especially because the Ted Lasso creators say it's the final season. AFC Richmond won't be the same after Nate's departure, but more importantly, it won't be the same now that Keeley's gone. However, Keeley is off to start a new character journey that is sure to be intriguing to watch.