Even in retirement, Jason Kelce refuses to not impress. The former Philadelphia Eagles center, who hung up his cleats in March 2024 after 13 NFL seasons, has been staying in remarkable shape since stepping away from the game.
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Now weighing about 30 pounds lighter than his playing days, Kelce’s commitment to health and competition hasn’t waned. If anything, it’s evolved.
On his podcast New Heights recently, the 37-year-old revealed he’s down to around 270 pounds, nearly the same weight he once joked could make him a tight end. So, are we seeing Jason Kelce back on the field any time soon?
“Can’t, no,” Kelce said about considering playing again. “My ankles and knees and back won’t let me. It’s getting bad. I don’t know if it’s the moment you retire mentally, your body retires too.”
Yet despite that honest admission, Jason Kelce recently proved that there’s still plenty of gas left in the tank. The retired star returned to the Eagles’ training facility to take on one of his old in-season workout routines… a challenge that turned into both a test of endurance and a trip down memory lane.
Working with head strength coach Fernando Noriega, Kelce decided to test himself on the same speed and strength drills that once made him one of the NFL’s most athletic linemen.
And safe to say, the results were eye-opening for both Kelce and his fans. “My fastest time I ever hit in practice was 19.2 mph,” the Eagles legend recalled before sprinting through the first drill.
When Noriega clocked him at 19.64 mph, the former center couldn’t contain his disbelief. “Are you fu*king kidding me? Let’s go!” he shouted, before attempting another run and improving again to 19.72 mph. “Some of the guys probably playing now can’t hit that,” Noriega remarked with a grin and some pride.
But once the sprints were over, the humbling part began. Jason Kelce transitioned to the weight room, where he admitted his strength had slipped since trimming down.
He started with a few 135-pound squats to warm up, then moved through 225 lbs. and 455 lbs., before stopping short of his old 505-pound mark. “I almost blew my back out on that one,” he joked. “This was humbling… speed was still there, but getting pinned trying to squat 505, and my power numbers were way down,” the Super Bowl winner added.
By the end of the session, which saw him do incline presses, pulldowns, and curls, Jason Kelce was drenched in sweat and laughter. “I’m so fu*king tired… I’m fading quick,” he said between breaths.
Even if Jason Kelce’s lost some of his trademark power and the mass on his guy, the fact that his speed and endurance remain fully intact is tremendous.
This shows that even a retired NFL athlete is more fit and powerful than the majority of the population. And last but not least, Jason Kelce’s performance is also proof that while his playing days may be over, the competitor in him hasn’t retired one bit, as evident from his sprint drill.