Washington (AFP) – Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, a 13-year NFL veteran who won a Super Bowl, made a tearful farewell on Monday, announcing his retirement.
The six-time NFL All-Pro offensive lineman, whose two-time Super Bowl champion brother Travis is best known as the boyfriend of singer Taylor Swift, played for the Eagles from 2011 through 2023 after being taken in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
“Stepping on the field was the most alive and free I had ever felt,” Kelce said. “It was a visceral feeling with football unlike any other sport.
“The hairs on my arms would stand up. I could hit somebody, run around like a crazed lunatic, and then get told, ‘Good job.’ I love football.”
Kelce helped the Eagles capture the 2018 Super Bowl, defeating New England 41-33.
“You just keep working at your craft and you have people around you who believe in you and if you have the drive to be the best, you love it,” Kelce said.
“I’ve always loved it.”
Kelce, 36, is the older brother of Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, who gained worldwide acclaim for dating Swift.
Wiping away tears and choked up by emotion several times in announcing he would not return, Jason Kelce said he is uncertain what the future holds, although he is expected to receive offers for television commentary deals.
“It took a lot of hard work and determination getting here,” Kelce said.
“I don’t know what’s next but I look forward to the new challenges and opportunities that await and I know I carry with me the lessons from my time here and that forever we will all share the bond of being Philadelphians.”
Kelce become a local celebrity and eventually a national figure for his outgoing personality and over-the-top celebrating when watching his brother on the path to two Super Bowl crowns of his own with the Chiefs.
“Jason gave of himself for others, played through injuries and never wavered through all the ups and downs of our seasons and his own personal career,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said.
“He could chug beers with fans at a tailgate. He could sing in a Christmas album and raise money for charity or he could talk Xs and Os all day with coaches and teammates.
“Then after all that he could do things out on the football field that no other offensive linemen are capable of doing.”
© 2024 AFP
