Jason Kelce announced his decision to retire from the NFL on Monday during a press conference, with speculation now intensifying on what the 36-year-old's next move is.
The big decision made by Kelce brings the curtain down on 13 seasons as a professional player in the NFL. The press conference was attended by his family, including his younger brother and Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce.
After being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth-round in the 2011 draft, Kelce went on to spend his entire NFL career with the franchise. He was part of the Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII and his performances at center earned him seven Pro-Bowl selections and six First-team All-Pro selections.
During a highly emotional speech lasting 45 minutes, Kelce touched on his appreciation for the city of Philadelphia. He said: "Some people struggle to play in this city - I considered it a blessing to play in the most passionate sports town in America. The sense of urgency to win has pushed our organization, fuelled it to take chances, fix problems and work tirelessly to win."
He then mentioned his brother's influence in getting him to where he got to, saying: "We were a small family, it was really my brother and I our whole lives. There's no chance I would be here without the bond Travis and I share, it's only too poetic that I found my career being fulfilled in the city of brotherly love."
After the Eagles' most recent season ended with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs in January, rumours circled over Kelce retiring, but he chose not to confirm any decision. He instead followed his brother's progress to Super Bowl LVIII and was in attendance in Las Vegas as Travis won his third championship with the Chiefs.
The brothers' popularity has massively increased thanks to their podcast, New Heights, which offers fans a fresh and unique perspective into the NFL. The podcast currently has 2.3 million subscribers on its YouTube page and continues to grow.
Kelce is now being tipped to spend his post-playing days predominantly working on US television for NFL coverage. The US edition of The Sun has been told by an NFL source that the 36-year-old will have many offers due to his popularity and ability to discuss the game well.
He is likely to receive offers imminently from multiple networks now that his retirement is official, and he could be set for annual salary earnings of $5 million. The NFL's domestic coverage currently belongs to FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN and Amazon.
FOX seems an unlikely option as seven-time Super Bowl winner and NFL icon, Tom Brady, is set to begin a 10-year deal worth $375 million with the network next season. Hence, FOX may not want to focus on bringing other new analysts to its coverage.
However, Kelce reportedly did have conversations with FOX, as well as ESPN and Amazon, during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas, so no option should be counted out at this stage.
The former center has worked with Amazon before as his documentary, 'Kelce', was released on Prime Video last year. He also featured in the network's NFL coverage last season as he made an appearance in the commentary box during a game between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.
Amazon's current deal is for the coverage of Thursday night games in the NFL regular season. Last season, the network aired the very first Black Friday game, involving the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins and it will exclusively air one playoff game next season.
Despite Amazon gradually getting coverage of more NFL games, its schedule is not as packed as FOX, CBS and NBC, and that may work out for Kelce as it could allow him to have other commitments.
Kelce could spend more time growing New Heights, with the 36-year-old being open to taking the podcast on a live tour to the UK.
There may also be opportunities for Kelce to stay in American football though coaching roles. He may also choose to focus on business ventures, having launched his own clothing line, Underdog Apparel, two years ago.
