One of the chief leaders for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jason Kelce, recently announced his retirement in an emotional speech. The press conference, which included his family, signified the conclusion of a mesmerizing career worthy of Hall of Fame recognition. After his announcement, fans hailed him as the greatest player to wear an Eagles jersey, with no doubts in mind. However, does Jason Kelce share the same sentiment?
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In the recent episode of Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast, “New Heights,” Jason opened up about his emotions regarding being considered the top Eagles player to don the team’s jersey. Jason, who is known for his humble and incredible nature, believed he was overrated by fans and media.
“I firmly like that most of my career had to be earned. It is crazy how overrated I am.” Jason modestly said. While Travis responded, “Shut the f*ck up, dude.” Jason further admitted that he was not even one of the top players for the franchise during his tenure. He acknowledged the contributions of players like Fletcher Cox, Jason Peters, and Lane Johnson.
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While Travis Kelce kept wanting his brother to believe in what he, the fans and the NFL world believed, Jason stressed that his success came from the dedication and the efforts he put in. The Philadelphia Eagles star center added:
“I couldn’t block Fletcher Cox, one-on-one, like it’s a legitimate thing. So that credit that I’ve gotten has been because of the work that’s been put in. They didn’t know how to spell my name back then but they know how to spell it now.”
Jason Kelce emotionally looked back on his career, connections, and the backing from family and coaches during his 45-minute retirement speech. Tears flowed down his face as he composed himself. The speech was posted online by the Eagles’ X handle. Reports by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo suggested that some individuals in the cafeteria visibly moved to tears during his speech.
The Eagles Misspelled Jason Kelce’s Name When They Drafted Him
In addition to debating if Jason is overrated or not, brothers Travis and Jason also discussed how the Philadelphia Eagles spelled Jason Kelce’s name wrong in their draft announcement in April 2011. “The #Eagles select C Jason Kelsey from Cincinnati with their 191st pick!” tweeted Philadelphia Eagles on April 30, 2011.
Jason learned about the mistake from Travis but was pleased to know that although the team may have misspelled his name back then, his name will now be immortalized after his retirement. Travis, at first, was displeased with how the franchise got his brother’s name wrong, but he was happy that now everyone will remember it as “it’s probably gonna be on the stadium at some point.”
Travis was visibly emotional during Jason Kelce’s retirement speech. However, late on “New Heights,” he held back his tears as he expressed gratitude for Jason’s journey and leadership. He acknowledged that they didn’t talk much about retirement but was definitely grateful to his brother for all that he did.
