On Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, Philadelphia Eagles center, Jason Kelce was rumored to have announced his retirement to his teammates in the locker room after a season-ending playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Being drafted into the Philadelphia Eagles in February 2011, Kelce signed a four-year contract in July of that same year. He quickly climbed the ranks and soon became the first rookie in Eagles history to start as the center for all 16 games of his first season. Kelce would continue to start as a center for the rest of his four-year contract.
In September 2014, Kelce went through surgery and missed four games. Despite that, he was still selected to participate in his first Pro Bowl. He would be selected for six more of those in the rest of his career.
In 2017, Kelce led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory in 52 years. He would then go on to compare Eagles fans to “hungry dogs” in the speech he gave during the victory parade to celebrate the win in 2018. He spoke while dressed as a mummer, people who dress in colorful costumes and parade down streets on New Years Day with brass instruments, a staple part of Philadelphia culture, which was something that Kelce wanted in the celebration.
Though being benched for the majority of the first game in the 2021-2022 season, Kelce would be signed to a $14 million contract the following year, making him the highest paid center in the National Football League (NFL). The same year, the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, competing against his brother Travis Kelce, which put him down as the first siblings in the NFL to compete against one another in the Super Bowl.
Though Jason Kelce has stated that he is retiring, he does not want to fully leave the Eagles just yet.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen for me. But I do know, I still want to be involved in the organization and still want to be a part of it, regardless of what the decision is. Because I don’t want to ever feel like I’m on the outside looking in on these achievements and these accolades and these opportunities that largely represent entire cities and fan bases and organizations. It’s too good a feeling to pass up,” Kelce said in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer.
