'That's all I got': After 41 minutes and 13 years, Jason Kelce retires from Philadelphia Eagles

After 41 minutes — and after 13 seasons — Jason Kelce was finished.

“That’s all I got,” Kelce said. 

The off-script line capped an unforgettable retirement speech. It capped one of the most memorable careers in franchise history. Because there was nothing left for him to say on Monday, with tears often interrupting his pre-written remarks. He wore a sleeveless shirt and flip-flops, remaining authentic until the end. And there’s nothing left for him to do in a career that puts him on track for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“So this all brings us here to today where I announce that I am retiring from the NFL, after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles,” Kelce said. “And today, I must admit, I am officially overrated. Vastly overrated. It took a lot of hard work and determination getting here. I have been the underdog my entire career and I mean this when I say it, I wish I still was. Few things gave me more joy than proving someone wrong.”

Overrated might be a stretch. But he doesn’t have anyone left to prove wrong. There were no scores to settle — only a career to celebrate.

Kelce didn’t mention the word “retire” until 40 minutes into his speech. He offered an ode to football, to family, to Philadelphia. It was about brotherhood — both by blood and by bond. It was about perseverance and belief, how a college walk-on and a sixth-round pick could transform into one of the best centers in NFL history. His mother, father, brother, and wife sat in the front row. Coaches and a few former teammates sprinkled in the back of the auditorium. The football world was captivated. 

The speech touched on more than simply his football career, spotlighting his childhood, his parents, his wife, his children, and more — some of which was discussed on Monday’s PHLY Eagles show and more that will be examined in additional columns. 

Here were some of the Philadelphia and Eagles-related topics that stood out from Monday:

On playing in Philadelphia

This is a topic that Kelce has discussed throughout the years, whether it was about Ben Simmons or the expectations that precede an anticipated Eagles season. His remarks Monday could become a manual for any athlete who comes to Philadelphia, shown by franchises during a rookie orientation or replayed whenever there’s a manufactured controversy.

“At times, you hate it as an athlete, especially those new to our city,” Kelce said. “But when you’ve been through it enough, you learn to appreciate it. No one celebrates their own like the City of Philadelphia. Athletes become demigods in the city, even ones whose deeds span decades before. The Eagles are the No. 1 ticket in town, the most talked about thing at nearly every moment. But that amount of attention, you better be ready to overcome the lows that will happen and be ready to persevere in the face of the criticism. Yes, they will let you know when you are not performing well, every time, but they will also love you if you show effort, aggression, desire, the will to fight.

“They will love you in this city, if you love it the way you love your brother. You will be loved by going above and beyond to show that you care because they care. They’ve been caring for generations in this town about this team and they aren’t about to except a bunch of excuses and soft-ass nonsense representing the name of the front of the jersey, something they’ve invested their entire lives in. If you don’t like what the fans and media are saying, as a player, it’s very easy. Love them. Treat them like your brothers, and go out and play your balls off. Wear your heart on your sleeve and I guarantee you change those narratives.”

Some sports figures can be accused of pandering. With Kelce, it seemed less about pandering to the crowd and more about understanding them. When he was drafted to play in Philadelphia in 2011, his agent, Jason Bernstein, told him, “You have no idea how perfect this is. You’re going to fit in great. You’re gonna fit in great in Philadelphia. This is your kind of town.” He lives in the area. He married a woman from the area. He’s raising his kids in the area. It’s not hard to bump into someone who has an individual Kelce story, because they see him around. He speaks as someone who is of here, even if he wasn’t originally from here. 

Further, he’s seen how this perspective can manifest. In 2016, Zach Ertz did not block Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict on a Carson Wentz scramble.  “Rightfully so, the fans ripped him apart, crushing him for doing it,” Kelce remembered. The criticism stung Ertz. And then after the first catch the following week, Kelce saw Ertz run with more aggression than in any of the previous three-plus seasons. The crowd responded with emphatic cheers, and as Kelce suggested, “today, you won’t find a single Philadelphian with a bad word to say about Zach Ertz and the legacy he left behind.” It’s why Kelce tells teammates not to worry about media narratives — and not because they’re insignificant or even inaccurate, but because they’re ultimately in control of the athlete.

“As players, you write the narratives,” Kelce said. “The fans and media, for the most part, occasionally different, only write what you give them. You go above and beyond in this city, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.”
Look at the reception on Monday.

On winning — and losing — the Super Bowl

There were poignant and heartfelt moments throughout the speech, but there’s a chance that if you ask a listener for their most memorable line in a decade, it would be his colorful description of the Philly Special and the only Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

“I won’t forget Nick Foles having the game of his life on the biggest stage possible. And the biggest dick on the team going up to Doug Pederson and asking for the Philly Special and Doug Peterson having the biggest balls in the stadium to say, ‘Yeah, let’s do it’,” Kelce said. “And Brandon Graham finding a way to stop Tom Brady once, literally once. And the way the ball hung in the air on that last Hail Mary and how it felt like an eternity. Just looking, no sound registering, completely engulfed in the moment. When it finally landed, running onto the field, looking for a flag, anything that would mean it was over. We had done it.”

Kelce also pointed out how crushed the locker room had been weeks earlier when Wentz tore his ACL in Los Angeles, and Malcolm Jenkins delivered a speech offering direction and confidence for the unforgettable run to the Lombardi Trophy.

And then, of course, came the parade. He saw generations of fans fulfilled. He encountered a woman carrying ashes of a dead relative, delivering on a promise to never miss the parade when the Eagles finally won.  And Kelce’s other speech — which one is more iconic now, the parade speech or the retirement speech? — was a tribute to those fans he passed on Broad Street.

“That wasn’t my speech,” Kelce said. “It was Philadelphia’s.”

Five years later, the Eagles didn’t win. Kelce stood on the field with red confetti falling around him. He hugged his brother, just as he did on Monday, and that memory was where Kelce suggested the emotion in his retirement speech would “go off the rails.”

“I won’t forget falling short to the Chiefs and the conflicted feeling of immense heartbreak I had selfishly for myself and for my teammates, and at the same time the amount of pride I had that my brother had climbed the mountain top once again,” Kelce said.

While he explained this, tears streamed past Travis’ sunglasses and down his face. They have a small family — no cousins, and only aunt and uncle — and the two have been by each other’s sides since they were children. They “won countless Super Bowls in our minds before ever leaving the house,” making game-winning plays together on Coleridge Road in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. They went to each other’s games — still do — and celebrated and commiserated together. And that’s why Kelce’s lone Super Bowl loss leaves conflicted feelings. 

“It’s only too poetic I found my career being fulfilled in the City of Brotherly Love,” Kelce said. “I knew that relationship all too well.”

On Eagles moments

The 41 minutes was long enough, so Kelce acknowledged he couldn’t mention every teammate along the way. Rather he focused on specific memories that are imprinted in his mind.

He started with the call from Andy Reid in 2011, when the Eagles drafted him in the sixth round. His father rushed into the room with tears because Kelce’s dream was realized. The same happened two years later, when Travis’ call came from Reid. This time, Kelce was also in tears. 

The memories were not sanitized, because Kelce also mentioned the 2012 death of Garrett Reid during training camp. He remembered leaving his dorm room at Lehigh University and seeing paramedics, unaware of the tragedy. Former wide receivers coach David Culley wore a sullen face, and when the news was revealed at practice, Kelce experienced the “most intense moment I’ve ever shared with a group of men.”

On the field, Kelce’s first memory came in 2011 when Jason Peters and Trent Cole engaged in a one-on-one pass set that left Kelce amazed at the speed, balance, and power of the two stars.

“It looked like a grizzly bear wrestling a panther,” Kelce said/” It was so impressive it made me question if I was good enough to play in this league. I watched the next couple guys go and thought, ‘OK, I can do this.’”

Chip Kelly’s debut remains a vivid memory for Kelce. The Eagles ran 53 plays in the first half against Washington and felt they were revolutionizing the NFL.

“We were so tired, but it didn’t matter, because they couldn’t stop us,” Kelce said. “The NFL had never seen something like this before. I remember all of us thinking after that game, this is going to change the NFL.”

Three months later, he walked on a field without snow before warmups against the Detroit Lions, and returned to the field later in a blizzard. The “Snow Bowl” became “probably the most fun game of football I’ve ever been in,” reminding him of playing in the backyard.

 “The Lions and white jerseys blended into the snow so well, I could not see the secondary of the defense,” Kelce said. “And the second half was all LeSean McCoy. He somehow figured out a way to cut on a dime that day and man, it was incredible to watch.”

On the bonds of the locker room 

Kelce has said before that what keeps him playing is the cafeteria — and he wasn’t referring to the smoothies.

“I was fortunate to play with great players, some of the best in this league has to offer,” Kelce said. “But it was really off the field, just sitting in the cafeteria with my teammates, breaking bread and talking about life, that were some of the most meaningful times I spent in my career.”

He posited that there’s no institution that better represents America than the NFL because of the “melting pot of geographic location, economic background, race, body type, personality, and athletic traits.”

“Fat offensive lineman from Cleveland play on the same field as skinny wide receivers from Louisiana and kickers from Chicago,” Kelce said. “Tight ends from Stanford playing next to tackles from Kilgore Community College. Defensive ends from inner city Detroit play next to defensive tackles from Yazoo City, Mississippi. Six-foot-nine Jordan Mailata plays the same sport as 4-foot-8 Darren Sproles.”

The skinny wide receiver reference was DeVonta Smith, the kicker was Jake Elliott, the tight end from Stanford was Ertz, the defensive end from Detroit was Brandon Graham (and Connor Barwin would fit too), with the Yazoo City native being Fletcher Cox.

Whatever Kelce does next — and the options are vast — will lack the unique nature of the locker room.

“Coming to work every day with a group of men who were driven to be the best in the world at what they do is an environment that will surely be hard to replicate,” Kelce said.

He also referred to 879, the former bar owned by Brent Celek and Todd Herremans in Old City. The “Thirsty Thursdays” became a weekly event for Kelce to forge the relationships that remained at the heart of many of his comments on Monday.

“(The bar) stayed open a whole six months because nobody paid for a drink,” Kelce said. “Poor business practices indeed, that bar may have closed quickly, but the friendships had forged remain open to this day.”

On Jeff Stoutland

Kelce made mention of many coaches throughout the past decade, from high school to college to his time in the NFL. 

One coach received billing above all: Jeff Stoutland, who has been Kelce’s position coach for 11 years.

“No one has been more influential or meaningful to my success on the field in my career than Stout,” Kelce said. “I think one of the greatest things a human being can give another is belief. This world, life, it can be hard. It can challenge yourself to points of self-doubt and that is a dangerous place to be. Well, I am lucky my whole life I have been surrounded by people that have believed in me… And in my darkest hours as a Philadelphian, Stout was the one who believed in me.”

The reference was to he 2017 offseason. Kelce had a down year in 2016, the Eagles had drafted his potential replacement (Isaac Seumalo) and there were rumors that the franchise would move on from Kelce. Kelce suggested nobody in the building wanted him stay — except Stoutland.

“He was adamant my problems could be fixed with proper technique, fundamentals, and work. And work we did,” Kelce said. “That offseason and Training Camp, I focused on using my hands better, playing with leverage, proper footwork, and prepared with an edge to prove to myself that I was good enough. The following season in 2017 I enjoyed the finest season of my 13-year career not only as a player, but as a team. And it meant more because of the struggles and work we had been through. Without him, I doubt any of this would have been possible, or that I’d still be here. Since that offseason, I have amassed six All-Pros, five Pro Bowls, and I’m recognized by some as one of the best centers to ever play the game. I am very proud knowing where I once was and the legacy I have left behind and the man we can all thank is Jeff Stoutland.”

Kelce quoted Stoutland three times during the speech, evidence of how close their relationship became:

1. “More often than not, the easy way is the wrong way.”
2. “No man is an island. We must draw our strengths from others.”
3. “Hungry dogs run faster.”

It’s also worth noting that Stoutland’s family, including his wife and two children, were in attendance on Monday. After the speech, Kelce hugged each of them.

As Stoutland told Kelce, no man is an island.

On Nick Sirianni (and other Eagles officials)

The speech was more about memories than endorsements, but Kelce also knows the power of his words and he’s intentional with how he uses them. There was a reason why he devoted a part of his remarks to Sirianni, who only coached Kelce for three of his 13 years.

“I won’t forget Nick Sirianni sending me kegs of beer to convince me to keep playing these last few years,” Kelce said. “He knows the key to my heart. I won’t forget making the playoffs in his first season, the Super Bowl in his next, and the immense heartbreak at the collapse of this last season. And although last season truly sucked, I wouldn’t trade any of my time with you or those teams for the world. Everything happens for a reason. And I’ve truly enjoyed my time with you, Coach. Sometimes the flowers get knocked back a bit, but the roots remain. And I can’t wait to watch her reblossom this next season.”

Kelce also singled out Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman. He noted how Lurie showed appreciation and love for players off the field, and how the organization values employees and offers resources that allows the players to thrive. He thanked Roseman for efforts to improve the team — from the coaches to players to salary cap maneuvering. 

And Kelce gave a special mention to team security chief Dom DiSandro. DiSandro became a popular cult figure in Philadelphia this season, but he’s long been valued by players for his behind-the-scenes work.

“Truly the life force of this organization,” Kelce said. “No one gives more time and energy to this team. At the drop of a hat, Dom is by your side. My family and I give our sincerest thank yous for always treating us with dignity and assistance.”

While Kelce was speaking, the buzz of a lawnmower could be heard outside the doors. DiSandro walked outside and asked the landscaper to pause. 

On perseverance

Anyone who knows Kelce is aware of his fondness for a Calvin Coolidge quote about persistence, and the term “Press On” can be recited by Kelce’s teammates from the past decade. Although it was not explicitly mentioned in the speech, the sentiment was present when Kelce reflected on his career. It rang through when he spoke about his parents and the value from them, when he reflected on overcoming the tough moments of his career, and how he became the demigod in Philadelphia.

“My parents would tell me, ‘Jason, you can do, you can be anything in this world you want to as long as you put your mind to it, and work hard to achieve it’,” Kelce said.  “So whenever I was faced with doubt in my career, be it from fans, from coaches, even from my own teammates, the American dream would burn from deep inside my bones.”

It was true as a college freshman when he redefined hard work, when he couldn’t lift his hands above his hand after a weight-lifting session. It was true when he moved from linebacker to center. It remained when he earned a spot on the Eagles — and kept a spot on the Eagles. And it will need to guide him with what’s next, too. 

One of Kelce’s favorite songs is “The Cape” by Guy Clark. He sings it to his daughters. There’s a lyric from the song that resonated on Monday: 

He did not know he could not fly

So he did

“ Growing up in Cleveland, I watched all of my favorite athletes leave the city. Hell, a whole team left the city,” Kelce said. “It has always been a goal of mine to play my whole career in one city and I couldn’t have dreamt a better one and a better fit if I tried. I don’t know what’s next, but I look forward to the new challenges and opportunities that await and I know that I carry with me the lessons from my time here and that forever, we shall all share the bond of being Philadelphians.”

With that, he looked up from his phone.

“That’s all I got,” he said.