When the Eagles open their 2024 season on a special edition Friday Night Football against the Packers, they will be missing a cornerstone of the last decade.
All-Pro center Jason Kelce elected to retire at the end of the 2023 season, hanging up his cleats after an illustrious 13-year career.
The 36-year-old spent his whole career with Philadelphia. He was the leader of one of the NFL's best offensive lines during his tenure and was almost always available, appearing in 193 of 211 regular season games.
Undeniably one of the best centers in football history, Kelce was been named a first-team All-Pro six times. He's one of just five offensive linemen to achieve that honor, joining Hall of Famers Jim Otto, Bulldog Turner, Dermotti Dawson, and Jim Ringo.
Why did Kelce decide to retire from football? The Sporting News takes a closer look below.
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Why did Jason Kelce retire?
Kelce's final game didn't end the way he had hoped, with the Eagles falling in the NFC wild-card game to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.
After 13 grueling seasons, the former Super Bowl champion decided it was time to retire.
"The physical portion is at a point that it's not a desire to continue to do," Kelce explained on the "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Travis.
"The reality was, it was more firm than it's ever been this year that I just don't think physically, I can compete at the level I want to anymore and really compete the way I want to.
"My elbow, a little of my knees, it's just gotten to the point where the deterioration and the recovery from that deterioration hasn't really manifested on game day yet, but I know it's going to start doing that. I'm hard on myself, and if I go out there and I'm not the player I want to be, it will crush me," Kelce continued.
"I feel very confident in the decision that I made. I know that it's time. I had a really good run."
Kelce won't step away from football completely, though. The next chapter of his career has just begun.
What's next for Jason Kelce?
Kelce didn't take long to land his next gig after football.
In addition to continuing his popular "New Heights" podcast with Travis, the future Hall of Fame center will immediately begin his broadcasting career on ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown."
"This is all new territory for me," Kelce said after an appearance on Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" during an off-week last season.
"I have even more respect for it now. It's very hard to do something live, reactive of stimulus that just happened and having something clever and meaningful to say."
He won't be in pads, but you'll still get to see Kelce's face on your television while watching football.
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