Jason Kelce Is Retiring From Football After 13 Years Playing For The Eagles
A shocking reaction to this game. Jason Kelce announced his retirement after 13 years on the NFL field. Kelce’s position in the Philadelphia Eagles is the innermost lineman of the offensive line—and at 6′ 3″ and 282 lbs, is a formidable opponent on the field.
Born on November 5, 1987, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Kelce attended Cleveland Heights High School, where he played both football and basketball. He was a standout player and his skills on the football field earned him a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati. He became a key player for the Cincinnati Bearcats, helping the UC offense average 27.3 points and 375.3 yards of total offense per game. His brother, Travis, joined the team in 2008. In 2009, Kelce earned second-team All-Big East honors after starting 13 games at left guard as the Bearcats went undefeated in the regular season (12–0) and were again Big East Champions.
Kelce was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, 191st overall. Since then he has had one Super Bowl ring under his belt and first-team All-Pro six times and received seven Pro Bowl selections. So why is he retiring and are the rumors true?
Is Travis Kelce retiring?
Jason Kelce announced his retirement on March 3, 2024. “I announce that I am retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles,” an emotional Kelce said. “Thank you, Philadelphia, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for letting me represent this city and allowing me into your homes every Sunday.”
“I’ve been asked many times why did I choose football — what drew me to the game — and I never have an answer that gets it right,” he said during a press conference where he stopped many times due to overwhelming emotion. “The best way I could 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. There was a visceral feeling with football, unlike any 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.’ I love football.”
ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter confirmed the retirement in early July. “Six-time All-Pro and future Hall-of-Fame center Jason Kelce told his Eagles’ teammates in Monday night’s postgame locker room that he is in fact retiring, per league sources,” he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
One announcer said after the Eagles lost to the Buccaneers in a 32-9 game. “That looks like a man filled with emotion. You wonder if that’s it for 36-year-old Jason Kelce.” The center was teary eyed at the last couple moments of the game and waved to his wife in the stands while giving a handshake to his father.
Jason actually considered retiring after 2023, once their team lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl. “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, although we did come up one game short,” Jason said, referring to where he played his brother at Super Bowl LVII. “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.”
He continued, “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.”
Jason married his wife Kylie in 2018. They share three daughters: Wyatt Elizabeth, Elliotte Ray, and Bennett Llewellyn. “I have two girls, and some people end up getting CTE, some guys live long healthy lives, I have no idea what’s gonna happen,” Jason said in his documentary. “The way I’ve rationalized it to myself is, nobody’s guaranteed tomorrow, nobody’s guaranteed years in advance.”
He continued, “If I get CTE and can’t interact with my grandkids, I would still say playing 12 years in the NFL, making my family prosperous, and being an influential member of the city of Philadelphia is a good trade-off.”
Kylie held the same sentiment in the Kelce documentary, saying, “I don’t think that people realize the beating you’re taking then impacts the way you interact with your family.” She continued, “I always tell people, no matter what happens with football, how it ends, I would like him to retire when he is still able to get down on the floor and play with our kids comfortably.”
In a January 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, Kelce joked about how he isn’t paid enough even with his $14.5 million contract. “My managers and agents love to tell me how underpaid I am,” he said. “Any time I talk about wanting more money, they’re just like, ‘Why don’t you go to the Chiefs and ask them?” The Chiefs are bound by a salary cap and players like All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill have moved elsewhere within the league—in Hill’s case, to the Miami Dolphins.
“When I saw Tyreek go and get 30 [million] a year, in the back of my head, I was like, ‘Man, that’s two to three times what I’m making right now,” he says. “I’m like, the free market looks like fun until you go somewhere and you don’t win. I love winning. I love the situation I’m in.”
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