By Alex Raskin Sports Editor for Dailymail.com
04:20 January 16, 2024, updated 04:39 January 16, 2024
Did Jason Kelce play in his last NFL game?
With the Philadelphia Eagles' season ending with a playoff loss Monday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team's longtime center now enters the offseason facing an uncertain future.
And if this is Kelce's last game, he'd probably like to forget it.
Not only did the Eagles surrender four sacks on Monday, but Philadelphia managed just 42 yards on 15 carries for a dismal average of 2.8 yards.
He still ranks among the best at the position, but at 36 years old, with the Eagles losing six of their last seven, the All-Pro's drive to return may be hampered.
In fact, going into the game, there was some talk that this might be Kelce's last performance in an Eagles uniform.
The 36-year-old father of three played 13 seasons in the NFL while missing a handful of games during that time. Recently, he admitted to reporters in Philadelphia that retirement is approaching whether he likes it or not.
“I try to remind the players that I did this, and my dad told me this from the moment I started playing football: You step off the pavement one day and it could be the end of your career,” he said.
“So you try to approach every game with that mentality. But obviously as you get closer and closer to that realization, it probably brings it to the forefront a little bit more.”
“But this is clearly not the main thing.” The main thing, you know, is to go out there and fight with each of the guys in that locker room.
“No matter how many years I play or any of us play, this team only has one game left now and that's what we're really focused on.”
Kelce previously admitted he was considering retirement after losing the Super Bowl last season to his brother Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs, before declaring on Twitter (now X) in March that he was “not done yet!”
But five months later when discussing his hectic NFL schedule, he said: “I think it's a lot, and I think the way we've justified it as a family is this.” [playing football] It will end here very soon. If it's this year, which is a very good thing, we want to make sure we're ready to go when football is over.
Kelce is signed through 2027 after earning $81 million in salary over his 13 NFL seasons.
Regardless of when he retires, older brother Kelce will be remembered as one of the best players of his era, earning All-Pro First Team honors six times and starting for the Eagles in their Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots for six years. since.
Jason's life has changed dramatically since Travis entered into a relationship with pop star Taylor Swift last year, dramatically boosting his and his brother's fame levels.
However, it has been reported that Swift has an awkward relationship with the Eagles star and his wife Kylie.
Travis' brother, Jason, and his wife, Kylie, apparently didn't make the singer feel very welcome, and comments made to the media about their relationship upset Swift, according to Life and Style.
In November, before Jason's Eagles played the Chiefs in Kansas City, Kylie Kelce gave an interview saying that the spotlight “is not particularly my cup of tea” and that she would rather watch games from the stands than from fancy suits as Swift cheers. Presidents.
Swift has met Kelsey's parents — mom Donna and dad Ed — but so far, there have been no photos of her meeting with Jason, who Travis is very close to, or Kylie.
Life and Style magazine quoted a source as saying, “Taylor didn’t get the best reception from Jason and his wife.”
Kylie's quotes about the spotlight particularly angered Swift, with the source adding: “Taylor took it personally and since then it's been very awkward.”
Of course, if Jason retires, Kylie and Taylor probably won't meet on any NFL fields anyway.
