Did Jason Kelce retire? Eagles center's pre-game comments hint at NFL exit after Wild Card loss to Buccaneers

Center Jason Kelce has been one of the Philadelphia Eagles' longest-serving players, having been on the roster since 2011. That means he has snapped to a litany of quarterbacks over his 13 seasons in the NFL, from Michael Vick to Jalen Hurts.

During that time, he has appeared in two Super Bowls, winning LII. He has also been named a first-team All-Pro six times and reached seven Pro Bowls. He has also garnered his fair share of off-field fame as well, initially for his memetic Super Bowl parade speech while dressed as a mummer, but also lately for his jovial yet down-to-earth personality and dedication to his wife and three daughters.

But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and Kelce might have played his last game on Monday, when the Eagles suffered a humiliating 9-32 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wild Card Weekend. He discussed the possibility of retiring in a pre-game scrum on Friday:

"Whenever you're older in your career, you never know when that's going to be. I try to remind guys from the moment I started playing football: You step off the curb one day and that could be the end of your career."

UPDATE: Jason Kelce informed his teammates that he is, in fact, hanging up his cleats.

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How Jason Kelce, Eagles’ lopsided loss at Buccaneers played out

If Monday marked the end of Jason Kelce’s career, then it would be considered a very forgettable way to go out.

There was already incoming trouble for the Philadelphia Eagles after leading wide receiver AJ Brown was ruled out with a knee injury on Sunday. Without him, the offense suffered as they were forced to punt in their first two drives, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a field goal from Chase McLaughlin.

However, a more pressing concern was to come, as Baker Mayfield found David Moore for a tackle-breaking 44-yard touchdown:

After two more McLaughlin field goal, the Eagles finally reached the end zone via a touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert. However, Jalen Hurts’ sneak attempt failed:

That would be their last time scoring any points. After the second half began with an exchange of punts, the Buccaneers managed to trap Hurts in the end zone for a safety:

Mayfield eventually ended any hopes of a comeback with touchdown passes to rookie Trey Palmer, then one-time Pro Bowler Chris Godwin.

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