Travis Kelce wipes away tears as brother Jason announces retirement from NFL

Jason Kelce is flying out on a high.

The 36-year-old Philadelphia Eagles center sobbed as he announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons on Monday.

“Not a good start,” he joked through tears, before detailing visceral memories of playing football as a kid, as well as the hardships he went through to make it as a professional athlete.

Kelce also took time to thank everyone who has helped him along the way, including his parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, his brother, Travis Kelce, and his wife, Kylie Kelce, who were all holding back tears from the audience

There is no chance I would be here without the bond Travis and I share,” Jason said while remembering how he and his brother, who is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, pushed each other over the years.

“It was really my brother and I our whole lives,” he said. “We did almost everything together — competed, fought, laughed, cried and learned from each other. We invented games, imagine ourselves as star players of that time.

We envisioned making winning plays day after day. We won countless Super Bowls in our minds before ever leaving the house. And when we weren’t playing we were at the other one’s games.”

The now-retired athlete continued to wipe away tears as he recalled meeting Kylie in a bar and how proud he is to now be the father of three daughters.

“This all brings us here to today where I announce I am retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles,” he said at the end of the speech. “And today I must admit I am officially overrated. Vastly overrated. It took a lot of hard work and determination getting here.”

Thank you, Philadelphia, from the bottom of my heart,” he concluded. “It has truly been a privilege. You have all been good to me and my family … I don’t know what’s next but I look forward the new challenges and lessons that await.”

Jason was the Eagles’ sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft, and he spent his entire career with the team.