Jason Kelce walks off an NFL field as a player for the last time. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is reportedly set to retire.
According to Tuesday morning reports from both ESPN and the NFL Network, Kelce informed his teammates in the minutes after the Eagles’ 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he would be retiring from football.
Kelce, 36, was visibly emotional as the final moments of the game clock ticked off his last game. He shared a hug with offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland as the game came to an end.
He then shared a moment with his family in the stands as he walked off the field at Raymond James Stadium.
An emotional Jason Kelce finds his family in the stands postgame 💚 pic.twitter.com/nIJxKDHpxA
— NFL (@NFL) January 16, 2024
As he walked down the tunnel to the Eagles locker room, the emotion of the moment was still apparent on his face.
An emotional Eagles center Jason Kelce heads to the locker room pic.twitter.com/ccKdohSxAc
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 16, 2024
Kelce declined to speak with media and made no announcement in the emotional aftermath of the game. But with the prospect of his 37-year-old season approaching, he’s apparently decided to call it quits.
Kelce played 13 seasons in the NFL, all of them with the Eagles. He joined a team that finished 8-8 in his 2011 rookie year and made the playoffs in just one of his first six seasons. Then in 2017, he anchored a historic offensive line for a team that won the franchise’s first and only Super Bowl.
The Eagles made the playoffs in six of Kelce’s final seven seasons, including a return trip to the Super Bowl following the 2022 season. He’s synonymous with that run that’s easily the most successful in franchise history. In the process, he became one of the NFL’s most recognizable faces alongside his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Kelce piled up individual honors on top of his team success with the Eagles. He retires having been named to the Pro Bowl seven times. He was named first-team All-Pro six times. He was Philadelphia’s NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2021.
Kelce will retire near the top of his game at 36 years old while earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in his final season. Canton is surely next.
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