On Monday afternoon, Jason Kelce officially retired from the NFL.
When all is said and done, the former walk-on at Cincinnati who dedicated himself to football because he loved it so much will be remembered as one of the greatest centers in the history of the game. It should be no surprise he delivered a remarkable retirement press conference that seemingly touched on everything and everyone important to him.
As Kelce steps away from the football field, I thought it’d be appropriate to look back at some of the most iconic moments of the living legend’s NFL career. After rifling through this list, one thing is clear: He was not your average center.
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The "Kelce" documentary
It’s not often you see an offensive lineman get the elaborate streaming service treatment, but Kelce was not your average big man up front. In Kelce on Amazon Prime, we get an intimate look at the future Hall of Famer’s life on and off the field during the Eagles’ 2022 run to Super Bowl 57. If there was one man who could make playing offensive line relatable and interesting to the casual NFL fan, it was Kelce.
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When he was named one of People's Sexiest Men Alive
Kelce probably isn’t the stereotypical person you’d expect to get this national label. But because of his confidence, humor, and success, he’s a great positive representation of masculinity. And that counts for a lot.
Jason Kelce was selected as one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” finalists for 2023. He is joined by Timothée Chalamet, Lenny Kravitz, Pedro Pascal, Usher, and Jamie Foxx.#Eagles pic.twitter.com/KfU6KG7GqP
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) November 8, 2023
Oh, and I imagine that glorious beard does the trick for many people, too.
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His various TV cameos on shows based in Philadelphia
As a beloved Philadelphia sports figure, Kelce was no stranger to appearing on incredibly popular TV shows based in the city. One of his more famous cameos probably came on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where Charlie hallucinates Kelce validating his at-home superstitions connected to helping the Eagles win.
More recently, Kelce appeared alongside Eagles teammates Jalen Hurts and Brandon Graham during an episode of Abbott Elementary where they surprised a grade-school classroom:
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That time he played with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Clearly a man of many talents, Kelce once “moonlighted” with the student jazz band of the Philadelphia Orchestra and played some light saxophone. Imagine jamming next to the Eagles’ star center.
I would faint if I was a fan:
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His heartwarming Eagles' Christmas albums
Ever one to get into the holiday spirit, Kelce started leaning into his golden pipes toward the end of his playing career.
First, there was when he released a full Christmas album with his Eagles teammates. (And yes, it kind of rocked!) Then, roughly a year later, he roped in his brother Travis for a delightful guest appearance. It was so successful that the brothers ended up having a Billboard No. 1 song.
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The rise of Fat Batman
Around the midway point of the 2022 NFL season, the Eagles leaned into the motif that their team had no Robins. They just had different varieties of Batmen. In a nod to his teammates, Kelce fully embraced being Philadelphia’s “Fat Batman” with a hilarious mask. Let’s call this a perfect snippet into one of the more engaging NFL personalities ever.
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The New Heights podcast reaching ... new heights
Just because Kelce will never play a down in the NFL again doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of him in public. Far from it, in fact.
Where we’ll likely hear from his colorful personality most is on his very popular podcast, New Heights, which he co-hosts with his brother Travis. To this day, it’s arguably the most popular NFL-adjacent podcast ever. Shoot, it might have an argument for the most popular sports podcast ever. It rose to particular prominence as Travis’s relationship with Taylor Swift grew in scope.
Don’t expect any of that to change any time soon.
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The Kelce Bowl
It didn’t end how he wanted it to, but I imagine the Kelce family will never forget how they were the epicenter of the sports world for nearly two weeks before and just after Super Bowl 57. It’s not often we see two All-Pro caliber brothers on the two best teams in football squaring off in the Super Bowl. Kudos to the Kelce’s for embracing this moment.
Everything from the hilarious media appearances all around to the well-deserved spotlight for the Kelce parents, especially their mother, Donna, was amazing to watch unfold in real time.
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One of the great Super Bowl parade speeches of all time
How could this list finish with anything else?
Few professional athletes have ever embraced a city as much as Jason Kelce did in Philadelphia. Probably even fewer knew exactly how to ingratiate themselves to fans just by being their authentic selves.
There was no better example of this than Kelce’s epic speech in an incredible Mummers outfit during the Eagles Super Bowl victory parade in February 2018. In the best football moment of every Eagles fan’s life, Kelce came prepared and made it beyond memorable.
I’ll let past Kelce do the rest of the talking here.
(Warning: NSFW language in the video below)
