Eagles' Jason Kelce announces retirement after 13 seasons - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles star center Jason Kelce, one of the key leaders for a team that has made six postseason appearances and two Super Bowl trips over the past seven seasons, announced his retirement in a tear-filled speech Monday, closing the book on a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

«I've been asked many times why did I choose football — what drew me to the game — and I never have an answer that gets it right,» Kelce said during a speech that he had to stop many times as he was overtaken by emotion. «The best way I could explain it is what draws you to your favorite song… your favorite book. It's what it makes you feel. The seriousness of it. The intensity of it.

»Stepping on the field was the most alive and free I had ever felt. There was a visceral feeling with football, unlike any sport. The hairs on my arms would stand up. I could hit somebody, run around like a crazed lunatic and then get told, 'Good job.' I love football."

A sixth-round draft selection in 2011, Kelce, 36, played his entire 13-year career with the Eagles. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls in 13 seasons and was named first-team All-Pro for the sixth time in 2023 — proof that he played at an elite level up to his final snap.

Since the 1970 merger, he is the only center who has won a Super Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors six times.

Kelce had contemplated retirement at various points over the past several years, but it became clear that things would be different this time around when, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he told teammates his playing days were over after the wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January.

«If it was his last game, he was one of the best teammates I've ever had,» right tackle Lane Johnson said then. «A guy