Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce held a press conference on Monday afternoon to discuss his future in the NFL. Addressing the media, Eagles Nation, and NFL fans across the world, Kelce announced his retirement from professional football.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Kelce defied his draft stock and emerged as one of the league’s premier offensive linemen. He was a beacon of availability throughout his career as he started every single Eagles game from 2015 through 2023. He also played 100 percent of snaps in four different seasons.
Kelce earned seven Pro Bowl nods and six First-Team All-Pro honors throughout his career. His legendary status makes his retirement announcement all the more significant, but it remains unsurprising. Speculation about his potential retirement was in full swing before the end of the Eagles’ preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the general sense around the league was that he would hang ’em up.
“There’s no shot [Kelce returns for another season],” fellow lineman Jordan Mailata told John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia back in February. “You’re telling me, he’s going shirt off in the games, gambling in the casinos, he’s coming back? No way. He’s having too much fun. He’s out there living his life. I’m going to miss him for sure. This has been the greatest six years of my life for sure, being here in the NFL, and to meet people like Jason Kelce has been an honor.”
Speculation and chatter continued on Monday morning when Kelce first announced his press conference. He did so in a post on X that included the words, “No Keg videos this year, I have come to a decision.”
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
This, of course, was a reference to a viral video from March 2022 in which Kelce poured beer from a keg and drank it while simultaneously debunking speculation that he may retire.
Now, two years later, he is officially done playing football. Hats off to Kelce for a spectacular NFL career. Next stop: Canton, Ohio.
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