Jason Kelce was overcome with emotion during what would become the final game of the Philadelphia Eagles’ latest NFL season, as fans and sports media speculate that he is retiring. The beloved NFL player was seen tearing up at various points before and after Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jason himself has yet to publicly confirm whether he’s retiring, although ESPN reports that the 36-year-old center informed his teammates of his decision in the postgame locker room.
“I have no idea if this is Jason Kelce’s final game, but if it is…he is a damn Philly legend! I thank him!” one fan gushed on X (formerly known as Twitter). In a video shared, Jason is seen looking somber as he sits on the sidelines of the game.
In the final moments of the game, cameras panned to Jason as he visibly blinked back tears. After the Birds’ tough wild card loss to the Bucs, ending their season, Jason was captured finding his family in the stands. He sweetly grabbed his wife, Kylie Kelce‘s, hand and waved to fans before exiting the field.
Inside the locker room, the typically jovial star bypassed the media with a shake of his head as he declined interviews.
“Watching Jason Kelce leave the locker room and not speak to the media is probably one of the saddest moments in Eagles history,” one fan commented on social media.
Another wrote, “It’s easy to root against the Eagles but impossible to root against Jason Kelce. Awesome dude and future hall of famer.”
Diehard Eagles fan Rob McElhenney, who has appeared numerous times on Jason and brother Travis Kelce‘s New Heights podcast, was deeply invested in the game all the way across the country in Los Angeles, California, as he attended the Primetime Emmy Awards. He shared a photo from inside the Peacock Theater with his wife, Kaitlin Olson, watching the action unfold on his phone.
“Who schedules the Emmys the same night as the @eagles #gobirds #FlyEaglesFly,” he joked.
Later, he shared a photo with the trophy for his Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program win for Welcome to Wrexham.
“Worth it I guess,” he joked.
Jason will likely speak out about the game during Wednesday’s episode of New Heights, but fans will have one more chance to see the athlete in action during this year’s Pro Bowl.
Both Kelce siblings were selected for the skills competition, marking Jason’s seventh and Travis’ ninth consecutive time competing. The Pro Bowl Games are set for Feb. 1 to Feb. 4 in Orlando, Florida, airing on ESPN and ABC.
But first, Travis’ Kansas City Chiefs have advanced to the next round of the NFL playoffs and will take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.