The news of Jason Kelce’s rumored retirement hit NFL fans, and Swifties too, hard. However, it was simply a rumor, and while the claim went viral, the center himself had not confirmed the news. Despite the lack of confirmation, the allegation that the Philadelphia Eagles player reportedly told his teammates he’d be retiring in the locker room had the Swifties making edits for him. Now, the 2018 Super Bowl champ has opened up about his future in football, and his thoughts on everything that went down after his team lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Swifties Made Fan Edits In Honor Of Jason Kelce
Obviously, considering Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship, the Swifties love the tight end, however, they’ve also fallen head over heels for his older brother too. From listening to the siblings joke about jersey sales and discuss how the NFL has covered Swift’s attendance at games, fans grew to adore the center, and they were devastated when the retirement rumors broke.
So, they took to social media to share their love and appreciation in the classic fandom way, through fan edits, and they’ve gone viral. For example, @MullerGino retweeted an edit to Swift’s song “Love Live,” and I think it captures the overall tone of both the edits about Jason and the response to them:
The Swifties keep proving they're good for football. A Jason Kelce retirement montage with this level of production value in 24 hours is insane. 2024 continues to be wild
Some edits have gone viral on TikTok too, like nootsgf’s video which featured clips and images of the player throughout his career, earning hundreds of thousands of views. There’s truly a lot of emotion in this situation from both fans and the Kelce family, and now Jason Kelce himself has weighed in on the retirement rumors, and he clarified what’s going on with his career.
Jason Kelce Commented On The Rumors About His Retirement
Jason Kelce very candidly spoke about how “frustrating” the game against the Bucs was. The Eagles had lost six of their last seven games, which was heartbreaking. The center was emotional as he left the field, and as mentioned the morning after the game, it was reported that he informed his teammates in the locker room that he would be retiring. Well, now, the player has clarified what he told his team afterward, and discussed the retirement rumors, saying on New Heights:
I didn’t announce what I was doing on purpose, despite, I guess, what’s been leaked to the media. But, you know, I think there’s a lot, people can kind of feel body language and stuff. I just don’t think you’re in a position after a game like that to really make that decision.
The rumor was that Jason Kelce had told his teammates after the game that he wouldn’t be returning next season. However, according to the player, that’s not exactly what he said, and he would not make that kind of life-changing decision immediately after such an emotional loss. He said:
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. It’s just something that I think when it’s time to officially announce what’s happening in the future it’ll be done in a way that’s definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals that have meant a lot to me and has led to the career I’ve had.
Closing out the discussion on the topic, the center reiterated the idea that making a retirement announcement in the way it was reported he had would not be “respectful” or “accurate.” He explained:
I don’t think that it would be respectful or even accurate to be able to do that right after a game like that.
He also clarified that he does not know what the team will look like next year, and made it abundantly clear that when he’s made a decision about his career, it will be publicized thoughtfully and formally.
If you’ve seen his documentary Kelce – which you can stream with an Amazon Prime subscription – you know Jason didn’t immediately decide to return this season, it took him a while to figure out his future. Based on his comments from the podcast, it seems like he’s going to put the same kind of time and consideration into his future after this season as well.
Both Jason and Travis were emotional about the situation, and the Eagles' beloved center ended the conversation saying he loves everyone in that locker room and eventually he’ll make a decision. As you can see, we’ve all grown to love the older Kelce brother, and as more news about his future in the NFL comes out, and his younger brother’s season continues to play out on the 2024 TV schedule, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
