Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce has addressed retirement speculation after reports began circulating that the Super Bowl champion told his teammates he’d decided to hang up his jersey.
In the latest episode of Mr. Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, which he co-hosts with his younger brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the 36-year-old said now is not the time to “really fully grasp” that decision.
“I don’t know what next year is going to look like with the team. Coaches, players,” Mr. Kelce said. “I just want to make sure everybody knows how much I love and respect and appreciate the effort and energy they put into the year. I know the outcome—Philadelphia—was not acceptable, but I love each and every person in that room and I’ll always believe in them.”
Mr. Kelce pointed out that the team’s coach allowed him to talk about his plans for the NFL’s next season, but he decided not to announce his plans “on purpose.”
“Nick [Sirianni] kinda gave me an opportunity to talk [but] I didn’t announce what I was doing on purpose, despite, I guess, what’s been leaked to the media,” Mr. Kelce said.
He added: “I just don’t think you’re in a position after a game like that to really, you know, make that decision. I just don’t. There’s too much emotion in the moment. There’s too much going down in the moment to really fully grasp that decision.”
“I’m not trying to be dramatic and continue to draw this thing out. I’m really not. It’s just something I think, you know, when it’s time to officially announce what’s happening in the future, it’ll be done in a way that’s definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals that have meant a lot to me, and what has led to the career I’ve had. I don’t think that it would be respectful, or even accurate, to be able to do that right after a game like that.”
Mr. Kelce noted that he did address his teammates after the Philadelphia Eagles’ 32–9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I got belief in every single one of you guys. Cherish the moments you have in this league,” Mr. Kelce recalled telling his teammates after the game.
Further addressing retirement rumors, Mr. Kelce’s podcast said in a Jan. 17 post on X that fans will hear news of the footballer’s retirement “from the man himself” when the time is right.
Retirement Rumors
Reports of Mr. Kelce’s alleged retirement began circulating after ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in a post on X that the potential future Hall of Famer told his teammates he was retiring following the team’s season-ending loss.
According to the sports news outlet, Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson also told reporters that Mr. Kelce has “hinted” to teammates that this would be his final season.
“I love him. He’s one of the best to ever play the game,” Mr. Johnson said. “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.”
The Associated Press also reported the news based on three anonymous sources.
Mr. Kelce, who has wavered on retirement over the last few seasons, is the fifth center in NFL history with at least six All-Pro selections. The other four players—Jim Otto, Bulldog Turner, Dermontti Dawson, and Jim Ringo—are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The footballer has been a stalwart of the offensive line since he was a sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft out of Cincinnati. He turned into an Iron Man after he missed most of the 2012 season with a partially torn medial collateral ligament and torn anterior cruciate ligament.
However, Mr. Kelce’s credentials go beyond football. He’s also a podcast co-host, was the subject of the “Kelce” documentary, and was named one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” for 2023, alongside Timothée Chalamet, Lenny Kravitz, and Jamie Foxx.