Jason Kelce Broke Down In Tears Before Announcing His Retirement

When the Eagles season came to an end in a Wild Card round loss to Tampa, the camera lingered on Jason Kelce as he walked off the field, slowly taking it all in. A year after considering retirement only to come back for one more ride with the Eagles, there was an expectation that the best center in football would be actually calling it a career after this season.

While it was reported Kelce was retiring weeks ago, it wasn’t until Monday afternoon that the 6-time All-Pro made the news official in an emotional press conference in Philadelphia. Kelce, who has an extremely strong case for the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible, struggled to even get the words out to start his presser, breaking down in tears as the weight of the moment hit him.

While he eventually was able to get through much of his speech, he again found himself overwhelmed by emotion when he started talking about the Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl and his love for his brother, Travis.

Kelce would also talk about his football journey, from where it all began to his Draft Day call from Andy Reid to finally hoisting the Lombardi Trophy with the Eagles and his legendary parade speech.

That identity of being a football player is incredibly difficult to let go, and Kelce’s speech explained why that is as he detailed how his love of football is ingrained so deep inside and playing the game offered him challenges and a feeling nothing else can provide. The good news is Kelce will have plenty of opportunities to remain close to the game he loves as he moves into the next stage of his career and life, as he figures to be a highly coveted figure by TV networks. Even so, it won’t ever be quite the same and that all seemed to hit him as he discussed the end of his playing career.