UPDATE: After 13 seasons, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce officially announced his retirement from the NFL.
“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,” Kelce said during a press conference in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon. “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.”
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Though his potential retirement had been alluded to following the Eagles’ Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 25, Kelce had remained vague about the decision until making it official on Monday.
He also took to X to confirm that he had made a final decision on the status of his career.
No Keg videos this year, I have come to a decision and will address it at a press conference this afternoon.
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) March 4, 2024
During his time in the NFL, Kelce won Super Bowl LII with the Eagles, was selected for the Pro Bowl seven times, and was named first-team All-Pro six times. The Center played the entirety of his career with the Eagles, something he takes great pride in.
“It has always been a goal of mine to play my whole career in one city,” Kelce said. “I couldn’t have dreamt a better one if I tried.”
The original story from January 18 is below.
It might be the end of an era for popular Philadelphia Eagles Center Jason Kelce, who reportedly announced his retirement to teammates following the Birds’ disappointing exit from the NFL playoffs on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kelce, who did not confirm his retirement publicly, has spent his entire 13-year NFL career in Philly — and he’s still warming the hearts of the people in the city who love him the most.
On Wednesday, Kelce drove to his local McDonald’s in Broomall, Pennsylvania and ordered a sausage, egg and cheese and paid a visit to an employee, Danielle Bonham.
Bonham, a massive Kelce fan, has served the NFL player his breakfast order and snapped selfies with him on multiple occasions during his drive-thru visits.
During Wednesday’s visit, Kelce surprised Bonham by signing a Kelly green Eagles jersey and giving it to her while paying for his order.
“I’m forever grateful and very fortunate to have crossed paths with him as many times as I did, and I just wish him nothing but the best,” Bonham told local outlet FOX 29.
Fans of Kelce and residents of his now-hometown of Havertown, Pennsylvania, were enamored by his kind act amid sadness following the rumors that he was departing the league.
“This is why I love him,” one person wrote on Instagram. “He’s just so humble it’s HARD not to like him.”
“Just when we thought we were done crying,” another said.
The same day, Kelce took to his podcast “New Heights” with his brother and fellow NFL star, Travis Kelce, to clarify that he had not yet made any public announcement or decision regarding the future of his NFL career.
“I didn’t announce what I was doing on purpose despite, I guess, what’s been leaked to the media,” Kelce said. “I just don’t think you’re in a position after a game like that to really make that decision. I just don’t. There’s too much emotion in the moment to really fully grasp that decision.”
Kelce added that when he makes an announcement or decision, he plans to do so “in a way that’s definitive and pays respect to a lot of individuals that have meant a lot to me and has led to the career I’ve had.”
The Philadelphia Eagles finished the season with an 11-6 record.
