Jason Kelce ‘told his Eagles teammates he’s RETIRING in the locker room after playoff defeat by Tampa Bay’ with 36-year-old left in tears on the sideline

Jason Kelce reportedly told his Philadelphia Eagles teammates that he will retire from football after their shock defeat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the 36-year-old is set to walk away after a remarkable 13-year career and informed his teammates in the locker room at Raymond James Stadium.

Kelce, a father-of-three, strongly considered retiring at the end of last season and filmed his struggle to make a decision which later became a hit Amazon Prime documentary.

Eventually he decided to play on and signed a one-year contract with the Eagles for this season, but was due to become a free agent in March.

But this time it appears he’s walking away for good and Kelce looked overcome by emotion in the final few seconds of his team’s dreadful 32-9 loss to Bucs. 

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Jason Kelce reportedly told his Philadelphia Eagles teammates that he will retire from football

Kelce walked over to see his wife, Kylie, and father, Ed, in emotional scenes in Tampa Bay

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Kelce politely refused to speak to the media afterwards, a duty he normally fulfils post-game

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Kelce pictured with wife Kylie and their three daughters Wyatt, Elliotte and Bennett

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Kelce was famously beaten by brother Travis as the Eagles met the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII

The center, a Super Bowl winner, six-time All-Pro and future Hall-of-Fame inductee, turned and hugged the offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland as the clock ticked towards zero.

Jason, the older brother of Kansas City Chiefs star Travis, then had an emotional but brief reunion with his family on the field – his father, Ed, and wife Kylie were cheering him on from the front row of the stands.

He gave them both a wave as he made his way from the field and was filmed tearing up on his long and lonely walk back to the locker room.

Kelce politely refused to talk to media in the locker room after the game – he usually speaks whether the Eagles win or lose – and made his way out of the stadium for what seems to be the last time in his career.

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But he won the Super Bowl in 2018 after an epic contest against Tom Brady’s Patriots

It appears to be a sad ending to a career that will see him go down as one of the greats of the game.

The center won the Super Bowl in 2018 and last season was famously beaten by his brother as the Eagles met the Chiefs in the NFL’s showpiece game.

Kelce was drafted by the Eagles in 2011 after playing college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and has spent his entire career in Philadelphia.

In the build-up to the Bucs game, he accepted that his future was going to be a talking point as the NFL season hit the home stretch.

‘I think it’s been natural the last three seasons for that for me,’ Kelce said Friday.

‘Whenever you’re older in your career, you never know when that’s going to be.

‘I try to remind guys and my dad has told me this from the moment I started playing football – you step off the curb one day and that could be the end of your career.

‘So you try to approach every game with that mindset, but obviously the closer and the older you get to that being a realization, puts it out in front maybe a little bit more.

‘But obviously that’s not the main thing. The main thing is going out there and battling with each of the guys in this locker room.’

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts paid tribute to Kelce after Monday night’s loss.

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Jason and Travis’ ‘New Heights’ podcast is a huge with football fans throughout the season

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Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts admitted Kelce ‘will forever have a special place in my heart’

Hurts said: ‘He’s a legend in this city – really in the league, I don’t want to do a disservice to him and the things he’s been able to do and overcome.

‘His journey to where he is now didn’t come easy, it’s been a long long time coming for him and every year since I’ve been here its been “you wanna come back?”

‘But he knows he knows how much I love and appreciate him he knows how much I’ve learned from him and he’ll forever have a special place in my heart.’

Fellow offensive lineman Lane Johnson also said Kelce had ‘hinted’ this would be his final season.

He said: ‘I love him. He’s one of the best to ever play the game.

‘The things he can do on the football field athletically – I don’t think we’ll see another one like him for a long time.’

More to follow.