Eagles' Jason Kelce on Retirement Rumors: I Didn't Make Any Announcement 'on Purpose'

Despite reports that longtime Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is headed toward retirement, he said he hasn't yet made a decision about his future in the NFL.

"I didn't announce what I was doing on purpose, despite, I guess, what's been leaked to the media," Kelce said on Wednesday's episode of the New Heights podcast. "I just don't think you're in a position after a game like that to really make that decision. There's too much emotion in the moment."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Kelce told his teammates that he plans to retire after the Eagles' disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Monday's NFC Wild Card Game.

Kelce was visibly emotional on the sideline during the game's closing moments, but he said he feels he needs to be in a better frame of mind before he decides to end his storied career.

"I'm not trying to be dramatic and continue to draw this thing out. I'm really not," he said. "It's just something that I think, when it's time to officially announce what's happening in the future, it'll be done in a way that's definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals that have meant a lot to me and what has led to the career I've had. And, you know, I don't think that it would be respectful or even accurate to be able to do that right after a game like that."

Kelce has spent his entire 13-year career in Philadelphia. The 36-year-old earned his seventh Pro Bowl selection and sixth first-team All-Pro selection this past season. He helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in the 2017 season.

Whether or not Kelce is calling it a career this offseason, it's clear that he's destined for the Hall of Fame.