Jason Kelce admitted he is still ‘really, really upset’ to no longer be an Eagles player after less than three months after the center retired from the NFL.
The now-ESPN broadcaster also opened up about the team’s ‘awful’ end to the season, where they lost six of their last seven games to go from having the NFL’s best record through Week 12, to not winning a playoff game. Kelce was an integral part of the Eagles, as a stalwart on their offensive line, but also as the catalyst for the team’s ‘Brotherly Shove’ play that resembled a rugby scrum.
Yet, the final images of Kelce’s playing career will be him walking off the field looking distraught after a blowout loss to Tampa Bay. Instead of playing, Kelce is focusing on his family life, broadcasting, and his ‘New Heights’ podcast with younger brother and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. “I’m really, really upset that I’m not going to be out there with them”
Jason Kelce says he has very high expectations for the Eagles in 2024 on Takeoff with John Clark. Clark caught up with the Eagles legend following Mike Quick’s charity golf event this week. pic.twitter.com/7uydyXx89r — NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 21, 2024
‘It was a full team effort in just awful, awful football,’ Kelce said. ‘So, it sucks to end it that way.’
‘I’m really really upset that I’m not going to be out there with them,’ Kelce continued. ‘I think very, very strongly it is going to be a phenomenal season for the Philadelphia Eagles. So I’m looking forward to watching that.’ Kelce spent his entire 13-year career with the Eagles and is a local legend.
The former center also detailed the ‘perfect storm’ for how Philadelphia lost six of its last seven games, saying it was not the same reason for losing every week. Since he played his last NFL game, Kelce jumped out of a luxury box in Buffalo shirtless the day he met his brother’s girlfriend, 14-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift.
The Kelce’s also hosted a live version of their podcast in Cincinnati in April. Kelce is set to begin his time as an NFL analyst this fall on ESPN as part of ‘Monday Night Football’. It was announced earlier this month that Kelce signed a multiple-year contract with the network.
