Jason Kelce told teammates he's retiring after playoff loss: report

Jason Kelce looks ready to hang up his football helmet for good.

Kelce, 36, and the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32-9 in their wild-card game on Monday, January 15. NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported a day after the team's emotional loss, Kelce informed his fellow Eagles in the locker room that he is retiring after 13 years in the league.

As the clock ran Monday evening, Kelce was seen standing somberly on the sideline. “That looks like a man full of emotion,” an announcer said during the broadcast. “It makes you wonder if that's it for 36-year-old Jason Kelce.”

Kelce chatted with the offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and looked up into the stands, where his wife, Kylie Kelce, looked momentarily overwhelmed with emotion. A tearful Jason walked out to the crowd and shook Dad Ed Kelce's hand after the match.

Jason, who has one Super Bowl ring to his name, previously admitted he was considering retirement during a conversation with The NFL Report'S Steve Wyche And James Palmer December 2023.

“Last year we took on a lot and in the end it turned out very well Travis [Kelce] and I at the end of the season, even though we were one game short,” Jason said, referring to Super Bowl LVII, where the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed over the Eagles. “You know, I think it's a lot, and I think the way we've justified it as a family is that this is going to be over pretty quickly.”

He continued: “If it's this year, which could very well be, we want to make sure we're ready to go when the football is ready, and with all these different opportunities and things, to find out what it is . want to do with our pension. And besides, just enjoy the last time you have left, with the boys you have left.”

Months after losing Super Bowl LVII, Jason admitted that the outcome of the game “played a factor” in his decision to return to the field.

“I don't think we should. I wish that wasn't the case,” he said on the “Rich Eisen Show” in April 2023. “But I do think that when you go so far and you get so close and it doesn't happen, I think your emotions and energy disappears. go, and you want to do that.

Jason previously opened up about his retirement in the Prime Video documentary Kelcewhere he confessed that it was “getting harder and harder to play” with each passing year.

“There have been little things that aren't big things yet, but will turn into big things the longer I play,” he said.

Since being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Jason has dealt with a multitude of injuries. In 2012, he tore his MCL and suffered a partial tear of his ACL. In 2018, he played three during the season, including a Grade 2 MCL sprain and injuries to his foot, elbow and shoulder.

Jason's wife, Kylie, also took issue with her husband stepping back during the match Kelce documentary, in which he says: “I don't think people realize that the beatings you take affect the way you treat your family.”

Kylie, 31, theorized that the timing of Jason's retirement could align well with the birth of their third daughter, Bennett, 10 months, who they welcomed after the 2023 Super Bowl — but her husband played one more season with the Eagles. (The couple also shares daughters Wyatt, 4, and Elliotte, 2.)

Related: Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce's most supportive quotes about each other

Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce have an enviable sibling bond, full of support, laughter and of course, football. While the brothers have found success in the NFL, they have shared glimpses of their relationship off the field. Their family even served as the inspiration for Travis' Saturday Night Live monologue, which he hosted for the first time […]

“I always tell people, no matter what happens in football, how it ends, I would like him to retire when he is still able to lay down on the ground and play comfortably with our kids,” he said. Kylie, who gave birth to Bennett. then two weeks after Super Bowl LVII, explained.

During a conversation with a retired Eagles player Connor Barwin in the Kelce In the documentary, Jason says he is “scared” of what could happen to his body after he retires, namely chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

“I have two girls, and some people end up getting CTE, some boys live long and healthy lives, I have no idea what's going to happen,” Jason said. “The way I've rationalized it for myself is: No one has a guarantee for tomorrow, no one has a guarantee for years in advance.”

He continued, “If I get CTE and can't interact with my grandchildren, I would still say that playing twelve years in the NFL, making my family prosperous, and being an influential member of the city of Philadelphia is a good tradeoff.” is. ”

During his 13 years with the Eagles, Kelce put together an impressive resume. In the 2011 season, he became the first rookie to start all 16 games at his position. He was also named to six Pro Bowl teams, five All-Pro 1st teams and was on the NFL Top 100 list five times.

Off the field, he and his family have used their platform to support their philanthropic efforts. During Jason's time in the NFL, he and Kylie have worked closely with the Eagles Autism Foundation, which raises awareness and funds for those within the autism community. Although Jason's involvement with the NFL has come to an end, Kylie shared that their commitment to the foundation will be lifelong.

“EAF knows they can't get rid of me,” Kylie said The Philadelphia Inquirer in January 2023. “Even though I'm not officially there, I just keep volunteering. Once football is done, but let's be honest, I don't think football will ever be done. But once Jason is done playing football regularly, I don't see us ever not playing a role in EAF again. We have that personal connection and we could never distance ourselves.”