Former Philadelphia star Jason Kelce reveals that he is not planning to turn down his retirement and says even the Eagles won’t take him after his weight loss.
Jason Kelce recently spoke with the Associated Press and ended the false allegations that he may unretire and return to the NFL. He also disclosed that one very simple reason is keeping him from doing so. On the positive side, he adds that retirement looks good.Kelce told the Associated Press that he had already lost 20 pounds since his last game for the Eagles in January and hopes to reduce his weight from 295 pounds to 260. Kelce stated, “They’re not going to call me to come back and play center at 260 pounds, so I’m moving on to the next thing.”
Kelce also encouraged his replacement in the Eagles camp, Cam Jurgens, who seemed to be in good form for his age. He continued, “I’m quite thrilled to see Jurgens. I believe Cam will be fantastic this season. He’s going to show everyone what a fantastic player he is. He played well for us at right guard last year and will thrive at center this season.”
Kelce has been on his weight loss quest since the day he departed from the league, and he has spoken about it several times since then. On an edition of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s New Heights podcast in April, Kelce received weight-loss counsel from the man himself.
Schwarzenegger instructed him, “The most essential thing is that you gradually reduce body fat and enhance body muscles, so you just swap. It doesn’t have to be simply about weight. Of course, you want to lose weight because it’s healthier, you can run faster, and you’ll be much more energetic, but you want to gradually reduce fat and improve muscle mass.”
Kelce appreciates the value of exercising, but he also recognized it was time to take up his cleats after the 2023–2024 NFL season. After years of considering retirement, his body suddenly told him it was time to stop.
Kelce sobbed when he announced his retirement from football earlier this year, but he has been a regular at the Eagles’ Philadelphia facility thus far. While Kelce’s 13-year NFL career is gone, he is beginning a new career in broadcasting with ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage.
The first matchup has Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets traveling to California to face the San Francisco 49ers, who lost the Super Bowl to Kelce’s brother Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, Week 5 is one of the early standouts, as Jason travels to Kansas City to see his brother play against the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium.Kelce, however, is not the only NFL great embarking on a new broadcast career this season; Tom Brady is also doing it for FOX. Despite the fact that Brady famously reversed his intention to retire, it appears that this year’s parallels with Kelce will end with television.
