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Jason Kelce officially retired from the National Football League on Monday, March 4, and gave an incredible speech while doing so.
Kelce’s speech was so well-regarded in the city of Philadelphia that one viral tweet even pointed how, despite being a historic metropolis that helped pioneer democracy, two of the top five speeches in its history have come from “the center of the football team.”
This city is a million years old and invented democracy and two of top 10 (5?) speeches in its history were made by the center of the football team
— Franzke & LA (@FranzkeLA) March 4, 2024
Jason Kelce now owns 2 of the greatest all-time speeches in Philadelphia sports. pic.twitter.com/Np78F3YMl2
— RB (@RBPhillyTake) March 4, 2024
“It’s only too poetic that I found my career being fulfilled in the city of Brotherly Love,” Kelce said of spending his career in Philadelphia after growing up with his brother Travis. “I knew that relationship all too well.”
“Some people struggle to play in this city. They can’t handle the boos, or the media, or our fans. I consider it a great blessing to play in the most passionate sports town in America,” he said.
“The sense of urgency in this city to win has pushed our organization as fuel to take chances, fix problems, and work tirelessly in an effort to win,” Kelce said. “At times, you hate it as an athlete, especially those new to our city, but when you’ve been through it enough, you learn to appreciate it. No one celebrates their own like the city of Philadelphia. Athletes become demigods in this city, even ones whose deeds spanned decades before.”
Even ESPN’s Mina Kimes, an award-winning writer in her own right, was stunned by the quality of Kelce’s speech.
“A thought while listening to the language Kelce uses here, the words he chooses and the way he structures his thoughts: Dude is a HELL of a writer,” Kimes tweeted about Kelce’s retirement speech.
The other Kelce speech being referred to is the one he gave during the championship parade after the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Drafted out of the University of Cincinnati in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Kelce went on to be named to six All-Pro first teams, seven Pro Bowls, and helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2018.
Kelce is also widely considered to be one of the greatest centers in the history of the sport and a shoo-in for Hall of Fame enshrinement.
Luckily for Kelce, unlike most retiring athletes, the 36-year-old has a promising post-NFL career ahead of him, as his “New Heights” podcast with his brother Travis is one of the most popular podcasts in America, with some business insiders speculating they could be the next “$100 million podcasters.”