Jason Kelce sobs as he announces retirement plan after 13 seasons in the NFL
Jason Kelce is flying out on a high.
The Philadelphia Eagles center sobbed as he announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons on Monday.
âNot a good start,â he joked through tears, before launching into a poem about being on the field.
During his announcement, he recalled his time in the sport and how he fell in love with it.
Jason, 36, also took time to thank everyone who has helped him along the way, including his parents, Donna and Ed, his brother, Travis and his wife, Kylie, who were all in attendance.
âThere is no chance I would be here without the bond Travis and I share,â he said while remembering how he and his brother, who is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, supported each other growing up.
Jason Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday. Fox
He broke down in tears as he announced his departure. Fox
Jasonâs family, including brother Travis and parents Donna and Ed, were in attendance. Fox
âIt was really my brother and I our whole lives,â he said. âWe did almost everything together â competed, fought, laughed, cried and learned from each other. We invented games, imagine ourselves as star players of that time. We envisioned making winning plays day after day. We won countless Super Bowls in our minds before ever leaving the house. And when we werenât playing we were at the other oneâs games.â
He continued to wipe away tears as he recalled meeting Kylie and his pride of being a father to three kids.
âThis all brings us here to today where I announce I am retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles,â he said at the end of the speech. âAnd today I must admit I am officially overrated. Vastly overrated. It took a lot of hard work and determination getting here.â
âThank you, Philadelphia, from the bottom of my heart,â he concluded. âIt has truly been a privilege. You have all been good to me and my family ⊠I donât know whatâs next but I look forward the new challenges and lessons that await.â
Kelce has played for the Philadelphia Eagles since 2011. Getty Images
The center played for the same team throughout his career. Getty Images
Jason was the Eaglesâ sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft, and he spent his entire career with the team.
He won a Super Bowl ring in 2018 and has seven Pro Bowls under his belt.
Jason memorably helped lead his team to the 2023 Super Bowl, which the Eagles lost to his brother Travis Kelceâs team, the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-35.
Speculation that Jason was hanging up his cleats first emerged in January after the Eaglesâ season-ending loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He won the 2018 Super Bowl. Getty Images
He also has seven Pro Bowls under his belt. Getty Images
He told his teammates in the locker room after the game that he was retiring, according to ESPNâs Adam Schefter.
âHe has considered retiring after other recent seasons, but this time is said to be real and happening,â the sports reporter tweeted.
For more Page Six you loveâŠ
Listen to our weekly âWe Hearâ podcast
Shop our exclusive merch
Jason was visibly upset following his teamâs loss and even appeared to be crying when cameras cut to him on the sidelines.
âThat looks like a man filled with emotion right now,â commentator Troy Aikman said during the broadcast.
He walked off the field toward his wife, Kylie, who stood in the front row with his father, Ed Kelce.
Kelce faced off against his brother, Travis Kelce, in the 2023 Super Bowl. REUTERS
Travis plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. AP
Eagles player Lane Johnson also told reporters that Jason had âhintedâ to teammates that 2023-24 was his final season.
âI love him. Heâs one of the best to ever play the game,â Johnson said.
âThe things he can do on the football field athletically â I donât think weâll see another one like him for a long time.â
The athlete will now focus his time on being a dad. DisneyParks/Instagram
He and wife Kylie Kelce share three daughters. Michael Zorn/Shutterstock
In March 2023, the father of three announced his decision to âreturn for another year after talking it over with my wife and many other friends and family.â
âI have put much thought into whether it makes sense to play another season⊠Thank you to all my supporters and detractors for fueling me, I ainât fâking done yet,â he tweeted at the time.
Jason and Kylie are parents to three girls: Wyatt Elizabeth, 4, Elliotte Ray, 2, and Bennett Llewellyn, 1.
