Philadelphia’s star center Jason Kelce said Wednesday that reports he planned to call time on his 13-year NFL career were premature.
Multiple US media outlets reported Tuesday that Kelce told teammates he planned to retire in the locker room after the Eagles’ once-promising season ended in a 32-9 drubbing by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs.
Kelce, the older brother of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, appeared emotional on the field and, unusually for him, declined to speak to reporters after the game.
But in his weekly “New Heights” podcast with his brother Kelce said the aftermath of such a defeat was not the time to make that kind of decision.
“I just don’t think you’re in a position after a game like that to really make that decision. I just don’t,” Kelce said in the episode released Wednesday. “There’s too much emotion in the moment. There’s too much going down in the moment to really fully grasp that decision.
“I’m not trying to be dramatic and continue to draw this thing out. I’m really not. It’s just something I think, when it’s time to officially announce what’s happening in the future, it’ll be done in a way that’s definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals that have meant a lot to me, what has led to the career I’ve had,” he added.
Kelce, 36, said he told his teammates “I got belief in every single one of you guys.”
Kelce had contemplated retirement in previous offseasons but remained one of the stars of his position.
The six-time All-Pro won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2017 and played for the Eagles in last season’s Super Bowl in February 2023 — when they fell to the Chiefs and Jason and Travis Kelce became the first brothers to face off in a Super Bowl.
In his 2022 documentary series for the Prime Video streaming service, Kelce acknowledged the toll the game was taking.
But ultimately he re-signed with the Eagles on a one-year contract on March 15. In the sixth week of the season he broke the franchise record for most consecutive starts with his 145th.
