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Jason Kelce thanks mother Donna Kelce as part of retirement speech

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Alex Weber | Last updated 3/4/24

At long last, Jason Kelce officially announced his retirement from the NFL as a Philadelphia Eagle, making sure to thank his mother as part of the ceremony.

While sharing words of gratitude following his 13 terrific seasons of pro football, Jason Kelce thanked his team, the NFL, teammates and coaches from his decade-plus on the field, and of course, made sure to single out his mother, Donna Kelce, for making his dream happen. He merely stated of her:

“I won’t forget my mother, becoming Mom of the NFL, a representative for all moms out there who have sacrificed so much for their children.”

Short and simple from Jason Kelce. You can watch the brief clip of his comment below:

.@JasonKelce gives all the love to his mom Donna for all that she's done.

"A representative for all moms out there who have sacrificed so much for their children." pic.twitter.com/UHTFWRgpBA
— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2024

Jason Kelce officially retires

By Nikki Chavanelle

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce held a press conference on Monday afternoon to officially announce his plan to retire after 13 seasons in the NFL. The lineman hosted the press conference at the Eagles facility with friends, family, coaches and teammates in attendance.

Kelce put together a decorated career for the Eagles after they selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati. He became a six-time All-Pro selection and a seven-time Pro Bowler as a key part of the Philadelphia offensive line and he seemed to get better and better with age.

Joining the Eagles’ offensive line as a rookie pushing an incumbent starter, Kelce won the job during his first preseason. He went on to become the first rookie in Eagles history to start all 16 games at center. Partial MCL and ACL tears in 2012 knocked him out for most of his second year but he returned to start all 16 games in 2013.

After earning All-Pro First Team honors in 2017, Kelce helped the Eagles clinch a victory in Super Bowl LII, defeating the New England Patriots 41–33. It took several seasons but he made it back to the Super Bowl with Philadelphia in 2022, but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, and his brother Travis. He toyed with retirement after that loss but opted to return for another chance at the Lombardi Trophy in 2023.

Kelce’s career earnings over 13 seasons in the league top $81.7 million, according to Spotrac. His $14.25 million salary in 2023 made him the highest-paid center in the NFL last season.

All that to say: Jason Kelce has plenty of money to do whatever he wishes after his football career of more than a dozen seasons.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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