As the final minutes ticked off the clock on Monday night against the Bucs, Eagles legend Jason Kelce was getting emotional on the sideline, and hugging longtime OL coach Jeff Stoutland.
Not even 12 hours later, it was reported that Kelce spoke to the team after their wild card loss and informed them of his decision to retire. But, we didn’t actually hear anything from Kelce himself. He did address the speculation on his New Heights Show released on Wednesday. The future Hall of Famer admitted he was irritated by the reports floating around, and that there was a reason he didn’t announce anything publicly, citing emotions being too high after a game like that to fully grasp that decision.
Kelce explained that he hugs it out with Stoutland at the end of every season for the past three years, and credited the coach for helping him play and execute at a high level. He went on to say that whenever he does make a decision, his announcement will be definitive and will include his respect for many individuals who helped shaped his career. He did get emotional thinking about how it ended, if this was the end, telling his teammates not to feel sorry for him.
Just a few hours after the New Heights Show dropped, Kelce spoke to reporters during locker room cleanout, and still didn’t want to take questions about his future. Travis Kelce was asked on Friday about his brother’s decision, and he pointed out that, “It came out that he retired, and he didn’t really say any of that.”
“The end of that game, I think everyone kind of felt for him, knowing that he has been thinking about it a lot over the past couple years […] It’s been cool to see everybody appreciate who he’s been over the years, this past week, but I think the big guy’s still got some football left if he wants it.” We’ll have to wait and see what Kelce ultimately decides, and he’s certainly earned the right to make the announcement on his terms and when he’s confident in whatever decision he makes.
