Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has made a decision regarding his future in football: He is ending his 13-year NFL career.
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The affable football player held a very emotional press conference Monday afternoon to confirm his intentions, all in the presence of his brother Travis, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.
Travis Kelce emotional during Jason Kelce's retirement press conference.
It's a beautiful moment to see Jason's family go through this with him. He looks at her a lot throughout the speech #Eagle pic.twitter.com/ieIqxDRGt4
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) March 4, 2024
“I have often been asked why I chose football, what convinced me to pursue the sport, and I have never given a good answer. The best way to explain it is to point you to your favorite song, your favorite book. That’s what you feel, the seriousness and the intensity,” the newly retired man told the media.
“I will never forget that call from Andy Reid [son ancien instructeur-chef] On draft day in 2011. My dad stormed into the room… with tears streaming down his cheeks, I told him that his son's dream had just come true, he said. He remembered too. And two years later, my brother got a call from the same man: He had just been drafted by the Chiefs. This time tears fell on my father and me.
Decision pending
The 36-year-old athlete has been toying with the idea of giving up his helmet and shoulder pads for several years. A documentary was even produced about his 2022 season, where he initially considered retiring after the season.
After the Eagles lost in the first round of the playoffs this year, multiple media outlets reported that Travis Kelce's older brother told his teammates that it was the end for him. However, in his podcast “New Heights,” which he co-hosts with his brother, the offensive lineman indicated that he wasn’t ready to make his decision yet.
“I just don’t think you’re in the right position to really make a decision after a game like that,” Kelce said.
“When it comes time to officially announce what will happen in the future, it will definitely happen and will be a tribute to many people who have meant a lot to me, who have been important to me and who have given me the opportunity. “It helped me have the career I had,” said the future member of the Football Hall of Fame.
Great career
Kelce was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2011 auction and became a key cog in their offensive line that year. Since then, he has been selected to seven Pro Bowl games and named to the NFL first team six times. Singer Taylor Swift's brother-in-law also won the Super Bowl in 2017.
“His hard work and determination – he was never drafted in the NCAA before playing for the University of Cincinnati and becoming an underrated NFL sixth-round pick in 2011 – are unmatched,” NFL Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a press release . His intelligence and versatility […] put him in a class of his own in his position. His genuine love and care for instructors, teammates and staff impacted everyone who worked with him.”