When Jason Kelce couldn’t keep up with his body’s desire to keep playing, he knew it was time to hang up his jersey for good.
The future Hall of Fame center, who announced his NFL retirement on Monday after a 13-season career with the Philadelphia Eagles, said in the latest episode of Him and Travis Kelce that his retirement is “a long time away.” I explained the reason why. Podcast “New Heights”.
“Obviously, I’ve been debating retirement for the last few seasons,” Jason said after his brother praised him for his “beautiful” retirement speech in which he broke down in tears at the Eagles’ facility.
“I think I was getting to the point where I knew it was what I wanted to do, and I was nervous leading up to the day. But a lot of the things that I talked about and shared, I haven’t shared for a long time. It’s something you want to do and you have to wait until the moment it feels right to do it.”
Jason explained that he knew it was time to retire because his opinion was everything, whereas in the past he had looked to others for guidance.
He also accepted that his body was too broken to continue playing at the level he desired.
“I think that’s how I knew. I used to reach out to other guys and say, ‘Hey, how do you know you want to stop playing?’ What do you think? ‘ he said.
“The reality is, this year I felt more strongly than ever that physically I can no longer compete at the level I want to, and I can’t really compete the way I want to. My elbows and my knees have gotten worse. His recovery has finally progressed, but the deterioration has not yet manifested on the day of the match.
“But I know it’s starting to happen and I don’t really want to quit. I’m a hard person on myself, so if I go out there and I’m not the player I want to be, I’ll be devastated. I’m very confident in my decision. I know it’s time. I did really well and that’s the biggest reason.”
When asked if he was relieved that the news became public, the All-Pro center said he had mixed feelings.
“Many of them are notes that I have followed throughout my career,” Jason said of the speech, which included a trip down memory lane of a life-changing moment he experienced in Philadelphia. . “I like taking notes on my phone. In some ways it felt good to finally get it out into the world, but in other ways it’s still difficult and painful. Weird… Ending It’s hard to understand. I thought I wouldn’t cry this much because I’ve said it so many times. I think it’s good to express emotions, but I was crying before I even started.”
Jason cried throughout most of his 40-minute speech Monday as his brother, his parents Donna and Ed, and his wife Kylie sat front and center.
“You definitely set the tone for the whole family, especially everyone listening,” the Chiefs tight end said. He was seen crying under dark sunglasses.
The three-time Super Bowl champion asked if people at the Eagles facility had told Jason to “fuck off” about retiring.
“On some level, people want me to stay there…but at the end of the day, everyone wants what I want at this point,” Jason said. “I think people still want me to play if I want to, but if I don’t want to play then I shouldn’t play and the reality is I don’t want to play anymore.
“Certainly, there’s always that feeling inside of me that wants to go out and play on game day, want to compete, want to be with my teammates. That kind of thing will never go away. But the physical part… , it’s not a desire to continue doing it, it’s not something I’m happy to do, so it’s over and that’s a good thing.”
What’s next?
Jason, who has reportedly been poached by a number of top networks, said he is excited but nervous for his next chapter.
“It’s definitely scary in a way. I’ve only ever played soccer so I have to try to figure something out,” he said. “Fortunately, this podcast and our fans have some opportunities right now, and that’s great.
“At the end of the day, this is still a new chapter. I’m incredibly excited about what’s to come, but I’m also nervous about what life will look like going forward.”
Drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round (191st overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati, Jason is a six-time All-Pro and has appeared in seven Pro Bowls.
He won Super Bowl LII with the Eagles in 2018 and helped Philadelphia advance to the Super Bowl in February 2023 when they lost 38-35 to Travis and the Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona.
