Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce announced his retirement on Monday after 13 seasons in the NFL.
The Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowler held a press conference at the Eagles facility to share the announcement.
“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. “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.”
He also looked back on his 13-year career with the Eagles, which he recounted as “filled with ups and downs.”
Jason Kelce gained unique recognition as a center, particularly for the outsized role he played as an offensive lineman, a position that generally does not garner much fanfare.
He is widely considered one of the best centers of his generation, a claim legitimized by his six All-Pro team selections, a distinction awarded at the end of each season.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Jason Kelce announces his retirement during a press conference in Philadelphia, March 4, 2024.
Matt Rourke/AP
Last month, during an appearance on “The Big Podcast with Shaq”, Jason Kelce opened up about his possible retirement, stating that he was still “figuring it out” at the time.
His comments came a few weeks after the Eagles’ season-ending loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL playoffs on Jan. 15, after which reports surfaced that Jason Kelce had announced his retirement to his teammates shortly after the game.
Kelce later denied those reports, saying on an episode of his “New Heights” podcast, which he hosts with brother Travis Kelce, that he wasn’t in the right mindset at that time to make such a big decision.
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce looks on from the sideline during the first half of a 2024 NFC wild card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, Jan 15, 2024, in Tampa, Fla.
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
“I didn’t announce what I was doing on purpose,” he said at the time. “I just don’t think you’re in a position after a game like that to really make that decision.”
“When it’s time to officially announce what’s happening in the future, it will 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,” he said.
Kelce then confirmed reports that he had addressed the Eagles after their loss.
“I got belief in every single one of you guys. Cherish the moments you have in this league,” he recalled telling the team.
Kelce shares three children, all under the age of 5 with his wife Kylie Kelce.