Jason Kelce Addresses Reports of Retiring From NFL on 'New ...

Two days after a tough loss in what ended up as the Philadelphia Eagles' final game of the NFL season, Jason Kelce is addressing reports that he told his teammates that he is retiring after 13 seasons in the league.

The Eagles All-Pro center spoke with his younger brother, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, in the latest episode of their "New Heights" podcast on Jan. 17 about the Eagles' loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — and said decisions about his future are not definitive.

"I don't know what next year is going to look like with the team," he said. "I just want to make sure everybody knows how much I love and respect and appreciate the effort and energy they put into the year.

"I didn't announce what I was doing on purpose despite I guess what's been leaked to the media. ... I just don't think you're in a position after a game like that to really make that decision. I just don't. There's too much emotion in the moment, there's too much going down in the moment, to really fully grasp that decision. I'm not trying to be dramatic and continue to draw this thing out, I'm really not.

"When it's time to officially announce what's happening in the future, it'll be done at in a way that's definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals that have meant a lot to me."

He added, "In the future there will be something said, I guess."

When he appeared to get emotional, he and Travis Kelce paused as his brother said, "Hell yeah, man."

"There's a lot of emotion in the room, for sure," Jason Kelce said. "I don't know what the future holds for anybody in that building right now."

His comments mark his first acknowledgement of reports by ESPN and the NFL Network, who reported, citing league sources, that Jason Kelce told his teammates that he is stepping away after a career that puts him among the greatest centers in NFL history.

The Eagles lost 32-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs on Jan. 15 to bring a disappointing season to an end. Philadelphia, which played in the Super Bowl one season earlier, started 10-1 this fall and then lost six of its last seven games.

Kelce, 36, did not answer questions about his possible retirement immediately following the game.

“Not today,” he told reporters who approached his locker.

Kelce is the rare offensive lineman to achieve fame outside of football. Centers are usually anonymous outside of diehard fans, but Kelce has changed that stereotype thanks to the success of the "New Heights" podcast, his jovial social media presence as a husband to wife Kylie and a dad of three, and moments with his all-American family, including Travis and his mom, Donna Kelce.