Kelce didn’t directly explain why he was retiring from the NFL, but he seemed to indicate that he doesn’t believe he is as good as he once was at the end of his speech.
“Today, I must admit. I am officially overrated,” Kelce said. “Vastly overrated. I fought. It took a lot of hard work and determination getting here. I’ve been the underdog my entire career, and I mean this when I say this: I wish I still was. Few things gave me more joy than proving someone wrong.”
Kelce is coming off a third consecutive All-Pro first-team campaign, so his assertion will seem strange to some.
But Kelce is 36 years old, so he was perhaps acknowledging that it wouldn’t be easy for him to continue his high-end play each season.
Either way, Kelce played 13 NFL seasons for the Eagles and noted in his speech that his goal was to play his entire career for one team. He accomplished that even despite a mid-career slump during which the Eagles were eager to trade him, so he is walking away from the spotlight having lived out his dream.
