AP sources say Eagles center Jason Kelce plans to take a break after 13 seasons in the NFL.
When the game was over, Jason Kelce stood on the sidelines, crying. It was likely his last NFL game. Kelce gave his offensive line coach a big hug.
Once the game finished in a terrible loss for the Philadelphia Eagles, he took off his helmet and reached out to his wife and father from the stands to shake their hands.
What Kelce knew at that time—and the friendly center couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge when he refused to talk to the media after the loss—was that his playing time in football was over.
For the last few seasons, Kelce, who is 36 years old, has been torn about retiring. Coach Nick Sirianni is adding to the legend of Kelce by sending the center a keg of beer to his house to get him to come back in 2022.
He is the Eagles’ heart and soul and a Philly sports star. He also won the Super Bowl. Three people who know about the choice told The Associated Press that Kelce has told his teammates he plans to quit after 13 seasons, 156 straight starts, and six picks to the All-Pro Team.
Three people who know about the decision notified The Associated Press that Philadelphia Eagles guard Jason Kelce has disclosed to his teammates that he plans to quit after 13 NFL seasons.
The recognized boss of the team wouldn’t talk to the press about what he planned to do after the game.
On Tuesday, the AP was told by anonymous sources that they didn’t want to be named because they respected Kelce’s choice, which hasn’t been made public yet.
He has thought about retiring a few times in the past few seasons, but in the end, he decided to play one more Super Bowl.
Following Philadelphia’s 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card game on Monday night, Kelce broke down in tears.
The recognized boss of the team wouldn’t talk to the press about what he planned to do after the game.
“I adore him. Well, we’re not quite ready to talk about that yet, but he’s unique, and I love him, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said once during the game.
“He’s just one of the coolest guys I’ve met.” We’ll always have a spot for him here, and he wants to play.
Travis Kelce is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce is his bigger brother. They play each other in the Super Bowl every year, which the Chiefs win. They also co-host a show.
Kelce, who is big, has thick hair, and a beard, He has been a rock on the offensive line since he was chosen, and he became known as “Iron Man” after missing most of the 2012 season due to a partly torn MCL and torn ACL.
He’s well-known in Philadelphia and has done a lot of cool things outside of football. For example, he sang the national anthem while attending a 76ers game, went out with the Phanatic, and smashed a beer to a standing ovation at a Phillies playoff game.
But the incident that made Philly fans love him forever was at the 2018 Super Bowl parade, where he dressed as one of Philadelphia’s famous Mummers and gave a ranting, swearing speech that made the crowd go crazy.
No one in the city knows who he is. Really in the league,” Jalen Hurts, quarterback for the Eagles, said. “I do not want to insult him or the things he has done and gotten through. It wasn’t easy for him to get to the point where he is now.
For him, it’s finally here after a very long time. And every year since I’ve been here, everybody asks, “Are you moving to come back?”
He knows the way I love and care about him, though. He knows that I’ve learned a lot from him. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for him.
On Tuesday, the news organization was told by anonymous sources that they didn’t want to be named because they respected Kelce’s choice, which hasn’t been made public yet.
Following Philadelphia’s 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFC wild-card game on Monday night, Kelce broke down in tears.