Credit: Natalie Greenaway

WSPN’s Ravi Kapadia discusses Jason Kelce’s retirement and career.

On March 4, Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce announced his retirement after 13 years in the NFL.

In his retirement press conference, Kelce stated that retirement was something he was debating for years, and that he is struggling to compete at a the same standard he used to. His struggles are mostly because of his past elbow and knee injuries.

“I just don’t think physically I can compete at the level that I want to anymore,” Kelce said in the press confernce. “My elbow and my knees, it’s just gotten to the point where the deterioration and the recovery from that deterioration hasn’t really manifested on game day yet, but I know it’s gonna start doing that”

Kelce grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where he played running back and linebacker. In 2006, he began the sport at the colligate level, playing for the University of Cincinnati alongside his brother Travis Kelce, who currently plays in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs. When J. Kelce was in college, he switched his position to offensive line, which he believed was the turning point of his football career.

The Philadelphia Eagles drafted J. Kelce in the sixth-round, with the 191st pick in the 2011 NFL draft. J. Kelce became a starter right away, starting all 16 games of his rookie season. The following year, he wasn’t as lucky as he suffered a partially torn MCL and a torn ACL injury in a game against the Baltimore Ravens. In 2014, J. Kelce signed a six year, $37 million contract, but later that year he had a sports hernia, causes him to undergo surgery and miss four games. However, he was able to play in the 2015 Pro Bowl, which was the first of his career.

In 2018, Kelce helped the Philadelphia Eagles win their first Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.  Later that year, J. Kelce attended another Pro Bowl and was awarded with his first “All-Pro” award. Soon J. Kelce became the fan favorite of Philadelphia.

While he is not on the field, Kelce spends his time on his podcast “New Heights.” J. Kelce and T. Kelce, who is a nine time Pro Bowler, seven time All-Pro and has three championships with the Kansas City Chiefs, are co-hosts of the podcast and talk about their football perspectives. The podcast was named “iheartradio podcast of the year” on March, 12.  Along with podcasting, J. Kelce also spends his time endorsing brands such as Old Spice, Campbell’s Soup, Tide, Accelerator Active Energy and Buffalo wild wings.

While retired, J. Kelce is hoping to spend time with his family and work on his health. “’I’m gonna slim down,” J. Kelce said in the press conference, “My goal is 250. Last week, I got down to 285 because I knew I was doing this, and then I had cake for three days in a row.” He also stated that he is looking forward to things that are not football related.

With seven Pro Bowls, six All Pros and a Super Bowl ring, J. Kelce is now often said to be one of the best centers in the history of the NFL. J. Kelce’s retirement marks the end of an era.