Jason Kelce has officially announced. The Philadelphia Eagles center, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, has announced his retirement after 13 seasons in the game, seven Pro Bowl appearances, six first-team All-Pro honors, and one Super Bowl championship.
Kelce, 36, spoke at an emotional press conference at the Philadelphia Eagles Training Center at the NovaCare Complex about his passion for football, which began as a boy in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and shared memories from his boyhood, college, and NFL career.
“So this all brings us to today, where I announce that I am retiring,” Kelce said through tears over 40 minutes into his statement. “Where I announce I am retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and today, I must admit, I am officially overrated, vastly overrated.”
He added with a smile, “It took a lot of hard work and determination getting here. I have been the underdog my entire career, and I mean this when I say it: I wish I still was.”
An all-time great giving an all-time great retirement speech. @JasonKelce, forever a legend. pic.twitter.com/8jNXEcrizp
— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2024
The father of three praised coaches, teammates, and “cafeteria workers” along the way—too many to mention, he said—together with his wife, Kylie, mother, Donna, father, Ed, and brother Travis.
In his statement, in which Kelce halted several times to hold back tears, the NFL star spoke of his particular relationship with his brother, saying before discussing their friendship, “This is where it’s going to go off the rails.”
“We won countless Super Bowls in our minds, before even leaving the house,” Jason added, recalling their days playing football with Capri Sun drinks Donna had brought for them.
Kelce, who said on X early Monday morning that an announcement was coming, has been debating retirement for more than a year.
No Keg videos this year, I have come to a decision and will address it at a press conference this afternoon.
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) March 4, 2024
The toll the game was taking on his health, as well as the impact it was having on his young family, was a recurring issue in his Prime documentary, which premiered last year.
After a “disappointing” finale to the Eagles’ season, which ended with a 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a wild-card playoff game on Jan. 15, Kelce’s decision appeared to be imprinted on his face after the game.
During the final play, Kelce hugged his long-time offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland. The father of three then gulped back tears as he scanned the stands for his family, who included Kylie and Ed.
Despite claims that Kelce had declared his retirement plans to teammates after the game, the Eagles star later explained that he had not chosen at the time.
“I think when it’s time to officially announce what’s happening in the future, it will be done in a way that will be definitive,” he added on his New Heights podcast two days later. “With respect to individuals who have meant a lot for me and what has led to the career I’ve had.”
Kelce set a long-standing Eagles record for most consecutive starts earlier this season, but his career — in which he is widely regarded as one of the greatest centers in NFL history — has not been without injury.
Kelce ruptured his MCL and partially tore his ACL in 2012. In 2018, he played the entire season with a Grade 2 MCL sprain and injuries to his foot, elbow, and shoulder.
Following the Eagles’ failed Super Bowl bid against his brother and the Kansas City Chiefs last season, he groaned in a Kelce documentary, “Every logical thing is telling me I should stop playing football. I’ve got to tear my body apart.”
“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 anxieties as the father of three little daughters: Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 12 months.
“I am fearful about what the impacts of playing football are going to mean long-term,” he said in an emotional moment with retired Eagles player Connor Barwin. “I have two girls and … some people end up getting CTE and some guys live long, healthy lives. I have no idea what’s gonna happen.”
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Now, Jason Kelce is at the heart of a new story. In late January, Kelce told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he planned to be engaged with the Eagles organization in some capacity, even if he wasn’t on the field.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen for me, but I do know I still want to be involved in the organization and still want to be a part of it — regardless of what the decision is,” he told the media. “Because I don’t want ever to feel like I’m on the outside looking in on these achievements and these accolades and these opportunities that largely represent entire cities and fan bases and organizations.”
During his New Heights podcast earlier in January, he told Travis what he said to his teammates after his final game in the NFL.
“I did address the team and pretty much said, ‘I [believe] in every single one of you guys,'” he stated. “‘Cherish your moments in this league.'”
He continued, “That’s kind of the way it went down. A lot of guys [said], ‘If that’s your last game, I feel sorry for you.’ Don’t feel sorry for me, mother——-,” Jason replied before taking a moment to collect himself. “Well either way, I truly appreciated everybody in that room, and I’d go to war with them any day of the week… Enjoy the time you got.”
In his remarks on Monday, he paid tribute to his lifelong passion for the game.
“Stepping on the field was the most alive and free I had ever felt,” he remarked. “It was a visceral feeling with football, unlike any other sport. The hairs on my arms would stand up, I could hit somebody, run around like a crazed lunatic and then get told, ‘Good job.'”
He continued, “I loved football, whether it was in my backyard with my brother, on the playground with my friends, or suiting up on Friday nights at Cleveland Heights High School. I loved everything about it.”
