Jason Kelce, a household name in Philadelphia, was the Eagles center for his entire NFL career. Kelce’s 13-year run came to an end on March 4, 2024 when he announced his retirement in an emotional speech: “Growing up in Cleveland, I watched all of my favorite athletes leave the city. It has always been a goal of mine to play my whole career in one city.” Kelce was a crucial part of the Eagles offense and rarely ever missed a start. In fact, the only time he was absent from a game was in 2014 when he missed 4 games due to a sports hernia surgery. Kelce holds the franchise record for most consecutive starts with 156 games.
Kelce contributed to the Eagles off the field as well. After winning Super Bowl LII, Jason Kelce showed up to the Eagles Super Bowl parade dressed in a full mummers outfit – prime Philly fashion. Philly sports fans and the sports world alike adore Kelce because of his commitment to not only his team, but also the greater Philadelphia community.
Since leaving the Eagles, Kelce has kept himself quite busy in the past year, primarily with his growing family. Jason and his wife, Kylie, have 3 little girls— Wyatt, Bennett, and Elliotte. In his retirement speech, he remarked, “I think one of the best things a person can be in this world is a father – a father who is present, loving, devoted just may be the greatest gift a child could ask for in our society.” Kelce, prioritizing quality time with his family, has switched from full-time NFL player to full-time father.
Even though Jason isn’t on the field playing, he is still connected to the NFL. Back in May 2024, he signed a multi-year and multi-million dollar contract with ESPN to host Monday Night Countdown, a two-hour program leading up to Monday Night Football kicks off. He also appears on the halftime show with Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Clark during Monday night games, playoffs, conference championships, and the Super Bowl. Since the season started, Kelce has been a hit, cracking jokes left and right, while still contributing his valuable knowledge of the game. In his new role, Kelce proves, once again, he is a man of many talents.
Another of Kelce’s new ventures is the podcast he hosts with his brother Travis, called New Heights. In August 2024, the siblings signed a deal with Amazon Wondery for $100 million dollars over 3 years. Amazon Wondery now has the distribution and exclusive rights to ad sales. Every Wednesday, the two brothers discuss everything from Taylor Swift to football, even during the NFL season.The brothers joke with each other, share childhood stories, trade insights about the NFL, and sometimes they bring on a special guest. The podcast is ranked in the top 5 of sports podcasts according to Spotify and Apple, and they garner millions of listeners weekly. New Heights podcast is fun, lighthearted, and sports focused, just like Jason and Travis.
The Kelces don’t just collaborate on a podcast— recently they came out with their own cereal. The limited edition General Mills cereal is called the Kelce Mix, a combination of their favorite cereals of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese’s Puffs, and Lucky Charms into one sugar-packed concoction. As a part of the collaboration, the two also spent time at General Mills’ Cereal Training Camp where they deliberated the tasty blend and competed in unique challenges. These competitions were posted on social media to promote the Kelce Mix. The limited edition boxes hit stores back in September and were quite popular among fans.
The Philly Specials, another one of Kelce’s projects, is a singing group compromised of Jordan Mailaita, Lane Johnson, and Kelce himself. The trio of Eagles offensive lineman released their third and final installment of their Christmas Album, A Philly Special Christmas Party on November 29, 2024. All of the profits that The Philly Specials make off of the album will be donated to local Philadelphia charities. Jason’s tireless work is partly for his fans, but even more so a testament to his character. To date, they have only donated the profits of their last two albums, but also have raised over $4.25 million for non-profit organizations around Philly. Jason, Jordan, and Lane poured their heart and souls into these albums, hoping to spread holiday cheer and help others.
Although Jason Kelce is absent from the Eagles offensive line, he is still very much present in the Philadelphia community. There is a reason he is called the Mayor of Philly, and his legacy will always live on throughout the loyal fans of Philadelphia.
