For most folks, the word ‘retirement’ conjures up thoughts of leisurely activities and reclining furniture. But Jason Kelce isn’t your average retiree. The former Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles center has done just about everything except sit still since retiring from the National Football League in March 2024.
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Jason’s latest escapade involved him traveling to New England. He donned a pea coat to shoot black-powder rifles as part of the opening ceremony for the New England Patriots‘ Monday night game against the New York Giants.
Having fully committed to being part of the ‘Endzone Militia,’ the older Kelce brother was thrilled to fire his first musket shot. Unfortunately, the hype didn’t match the experience.
“The whole time Michelle was talking about how much recoil these guns have,” Kelce prefaced. “I fired it, and I felt zero recoil. I don’t think it fired. Everybody’s like, ‘No, it fired. It fired.’ I’m pretty sure it didn’t.”
Now, to be fair, with Jason standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 282 pounds, it’s going to be pretty hard to find a weapon that has enough recoil to move him. After all, the NFL struggled to find one for the better part of the last 15 years.
“You’re a little f**king stiff, Jesus Christ,” Travis jabbed at his older brother after seeing the clip of him attempting to line up his shot.
“I was trying to be militaristic in my stance,” Jason joked in reply.
It is worth noting that the footage does ultimately show Jason’s musket failing to fire. Despite the puff of smoke and the slight movement of the barrel, the gun did not actually go off, vindicating the former center’s disappointment.
“I don’t know what went wrong,” admitted Jason. “I think this is probably pretty common with these older weapons. I think they misfire quickly.”
Hopefully, Jason’s next promotional stunt with ESPN won’t result in a misfire. The network is currently paying him $8 million a year to be one of the premier faces of their Monday Night Countdown show. For a bit of context, the former center had an APY of $9 million while playing for the Eagles in 2021.
Retirement looks good on the former Super Bowl champion. And, given his current trajectory, his brother figures to be joining him sooner rather than later, as the Kansas City Chiefs continue to struggle through the 2025 regular season.
