Jason Kelce has retired. After 13 seasons, 6 All-Pros, 7 Pro Bowls, and a Super Bowl, the legendary Eagles player is calling it a career. We knew it was coming. It seemed clear it was his final season from the start. There were reports he was retiring immediately after the final game of the season. But we waited to hear it from the man himself to officially react. With how great his career was, he earned the right to go out on his own terms.
Which is just what he did. In an emotional 40-minute speech he announced his retirement yesterday. He talked about coming up undersized and having doubters. Then he praised Philly fans and defended them from accusations about being too negative. He thanked influential people in his career like Jeff Stoutland, Howard Mudd, and his brother Travis. And he also made many of us cry with how emotional he was getting.
It is not often a Center makes this much of an impact. Sometimes even the greatest of Offensive Linemen go under the radar. But he is not only among the greatest Eagles linemen of all time, he is up there as one of the most beloved players in franchise history. We will see people rocking his jersey 20 years from now the way we still see people were Reggie White and Brian Dawkins jerseys. And given how rare O-Line Jerseys are to see, that is saying something.
His decision gripped not just Philadelphia today, but seemingly the sports world. People who have nothing to do with Philly or the Eagles chimed in. We collected some of the best reactions from around the sports world to share here. It seems like it is not only Eagles fans who are going to miss him.
Here are some of the reactions from around the sports world to Jason Kelce retiring:
