JASON KELCE IS retiring from the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles center confirmed his plans to bring his football career to an end at a press conference today, following several weeks of rumors.
A visibly emotional Kelce greeted reporters, and had to collect himself before beginning his statement by reflecting on his lifelong love of football, which began all the way back in middle school.
“I’ve been asked many times why did I choose football, what drew me to the game, and I never had an answer that gets it right,” he said. “The best way I can explain it is what draws you to your favorite song, your favorite book. It’s what it makes you feel. The seriousness of it, the intensity of it. Stepping on the field was the most alive and free I had ever felt.”
“I love the challenge of football,” he continued. “The joy of winning, the agony of defeat, the anxiety of the unknown, and the camaraderie of my teammates.”
Kelce went on to thank coaches and teammates from every stage of his career, from high school through college all the way to his 193-game tenure with the Eagles, where he has become a beloved Philly fixture. He also shared some of his favorite memories from the last 13 years, including the moment when he got the call from Eagles coach Andy Reid, and the day two years later when his brother Travis got drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. He called the opportunity to “climb that mountain” with his brother one of the great honors of his life.
“There is no chance I’d be here without the bond Travis and I share,” he said. “It made me stronger, tougher, smarter, and taught me the values of cooperation, loyalty, patience, and understanding. It’s only too poetic that I’ve found my career being fulfilled in the city of brotherly love. I knew that relationship all too well.”
The news will come as a blow to many Eagles fans, if not exactly a surprise. Kelce is coming to the end of a one-year contract, and was set to become a free agent in March, having played all 13 seasons of his NFL career with the Philly team. During that time, he secured a Super Bowl ring, and was a seven-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro selection.
Kelce first prompted speculation back in October 2023 that this season may well be his last in the NFL, and hinted that his focus was shifting towards setting new post-NFL career goals. He then reportedly broke the news to his teammates following their January 15 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We took on a lot last year, and it ended up working out really, really well for Travis and I at the end of the season,” he told The NFL Report. “You know, I think it is a lot, and I think the way we’ve justified it as a family is that this is going to be over pretty soon here. If it’s this year, which it very well could be, we want to make sure that we’re ready to go when football is done, and with all of these different opportunities and things, to figure out what it is we want to do with our retirement. And then on top of that, just enjoy the last time you have left with the guys you have.”
With the end of Kelce’s NFL career now set in stone, Eagles fans are sharing their reactions to the legendary center’s departure.
Philip Ellis
Philip Ellis is News Editor at Men’s Health, covering fitness, pop culture, sex and relationships, and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV, and he is the author of Love & Other Scams.
