Jason Kelce informs teammates that he is retiring from the NFL After 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles: Reports
Jason Kelce is reportedly going away from football.
According to NFL and ESPN sources, the 36-year-old Philadelphia Eagles center played his final game on Monday night.
According to ESPN, Kelce told his teammates in the locker room following their wildcard playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 32-9, that he plans to retire.
While Kelce denied media interviews in the locker room — “No guys, not today,” he said — Eagles head coach Nick Sirriani did not hesitate to express his admiration for the player, who spent his whole 13-year career in Philadelphia.
“I love him,” Nick Sirianni told ESPN. “He’s amazing, and I adore him. He’s one of the most unique individuals I’ve met. He’s always had a place here.
Kelce was noticeably distraught as he stood on the sidelines of Monday night’s game, watching the Eagles for the final time as a team member.
Kelce, dubbed “perhaps the NFL’s best center” by the league, had an impressive 13-year career that included the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl victory, five All-Pro appearances, and seven Pro Bowl appearances.
Kelce’s most recent Super Bowl appearance was in 2023, when the Eagles faced the Kansas City Chiefs, when he created history by playing against his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
After Monday’s game, quarterback Jalen Hurts told reporters that Kelce is “a legend in the city — really in the league,” and would “forever have a special place in my heart,” according to ESPN.
“I don’t want to diminish what he’s accomplished and overcome. His journey to where he is today was not easy. It’s been a long time coming for him, and every year since I’ve been here, the question has been, ‘Are you going to come back?’ ” Hurts stated.
Lane Johnson, another offensive lineman, echoed a similar point to reporters. “I love him. “He’s one of the best to ever play the game,” the right tackle told the newspaper. “The things he can do on the football field athletically — I don’t think we’ll see another one like him for a long time.”
Kelce has had multiple major injuries during his outstanding 13-year career in the league, which began with Andy Reid’s sixth-round choice in 2013. In 2012, he tore his MCL and had a partial tear of his ACL. According to Crossing Broad’s report from 2018, he played the entire season with a Grade 2 MCL sprain as well as injuries to his foot, elbow, and shoulder.
In his Amazon Prime documentary, Kelce, recorded during the 2022 season, he admits, “Every logical thing tells me I should stop playing football. I need to break my body apart.”
The film showed his dilemma about whether or not to play this season after the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory last year. “It’s getting harder and harder to play,” he admitted at one point. “There have been little things that are not big things yet but are going to turn into big things the longer I play.”
He was also open about his fears as the father of three little daughters: Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 2, and Bennett, 11 months.
“I am fearful about what the impacts of playing football are going to mean long-term,” he shared in an emotional exchange with retired Eagles player Connor Barwin. “I have two girls, and some people have CTE, while others live long, healthy lives. I have
His wife, Kylie Kelce, revealed in the documentary that he has been telling her that he will retire “for years” and shared her thoughts on the choice.
“I always tell people, no matter what happens with football, how it ends, I would like him to retire when he is still able to get down on the floor and play with our kids comfortably,” she said.
He eventually opted to stay for at least another year, signing a one-year contract. He broke the news in March 2023, several weeks after the sad Super Bowl loss.
“I have given a lot of thought to whether it makes sense to play another season,” he stated in a post on X (previously Twitter). “After talking it over with my wife and many other friends and family, I have decided to return for another year.”
“Thank you to all my supporters and detractors for fueling me, I ain’t f—king done yet!” he said.
