Philadelphia Eagles professional center Jason Kelce is retiring. His decision comes after the team’s loss in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Jan. 16. The news was first reported by ESPN senior NFL analyst Adam Schefter.
“Philadelphia Eagles star center Jason Kelce told his teammates in the locker room after Monday night’s game that he will retire, league sources told ESPN,” Schefter writes.
Kelce, 36, was visibly emotional at the end of the Eagles’ 32-9 playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The six-time All-Pro and future Hall of Famer has considered retiring in recent seasons, but this time it will happen.”
Eagles star talks ‘downhill’ road to retirement
There were rumors that Kelce hung up his cleats before their loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The star center played in 15 games this season and did so while battling several injuries. Kelce gave everything he could to the franchise that drafted him this season, but in the end, Father Time remained undefeated.
Before informing his teammates of his decision, the Eagles center explained why the impending decision had begun to weigh heavily on his mind.
“Every year it is more difficult. I’m nowhere near the player I used to be. “Jalen Hurts makes us all look so much better and makes my job so much easier,” she said.
“It’s just going to happen [downhill]and if you can be accountable to your teammates and perform at that level and mentally have the energy to be the difference that I think I am in that regard, all of that will be taken into account.”
Eagles coach pays tribute to Jason Kelce
Kelce retires as a six-time All-Pro center and seven-time Pro-Bowl selection. He also helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl in 2018. He will almost certainly have a place in Canton, the home of the NFL Hall of Fame. If his retirement holds, he will be eligible in 2029.
Amid the murmurs of his retirement, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni described what the star center has meant to the franchise.
“I love him,” Sirianni said. “He is special and I love him. He is one of the most special guys I have ever been around. “He always has a place here.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn