Eagles’ Kelce set to retire after 13 seasons

Jason Kelce stood on the sideline in tears as the final seconds ticked off in his likely final NFL game. Kelce embraced his long-time offensive line coach. He removed his helmet once the game ended — a Philadelphia Eagles loss that completed a harrowing season-ending collapse — and extended his hand to his wife and his father in the stands.

What Kelce knew then — what the gregarious center couldn’t bring himself to say when he declined to speak to the media in the aftermath of the defeat — was that his football career was over.

The 36-year-old Kelce has wavered on retirement over the last few seasons. Coach Nick Sirianni added to Kelce’s lore by shipping a keg of beer to the center’s home to entice him to return in 2022.

He has been the heart of the Eagles, a hero on the Philadelphia sports scene, a Super Bowl champion. But after 13 seasons, 156 straight starts and six All-pro Team selections, Kelce has told teammates he intends to retire, three people informed of the decision told The Associated Press.

They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday out of respect for Kelce’s decision, which he has not yet made public.

“The goat!!!. Appreciate ya big time,” Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. wrote on social media.

Kelce could explain his decision as early as Wednesday, when the next episode of the “New Heights” podcast he co-hosts with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift — was expected to drop. The

brothers played each other last season in the Super Bowl that was won by the Chiefs.

The burly, bushy-haired and bearded Kelce has been a stalwart of the offensive line since he was a sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft out of Cincinnati. He turned into an Iron Man after he missed most of the 2012 season with a partially torn MCL and torn ACL.

MAYFIELD LEADS BUCS OVER EAGLES >>

Baker Mayfield threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to lead the resurgent Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 32-9 wild-card playoff victory over Jalen Hurts and the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles late on Monday night.

The Bucs (10-8) won for the sixth time in seven games to advance to a NFC divisional round matchup on the road next Sunday against the Detroit Lions (13-5), another team — like the Eagles — that stymied Mayfield during the regular season.

“We’ve fought so hard to get to this point, to get a chance to be in the playoffs,” Mayfield said. “I’m so proud of this team tonight, the way we came out and started fast. I’m so proud. We wanted to give ourselves a chance and now we did just that.

David Moore scored on a 44-yard reception in the first quarter. Rookie Trey Palmer broke the game open with a 56-yard catch-and-run for a TD that put the Bucs up 25-9 late in the third quarter. Both receivers took advantage of a porous, poor-tackling Eagles secondary to make their way to the end zone.

Mayfield, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick who’s playing with his fourth team in less than two years, completed 22 of 36 passes without an interception. He capped his first playoff appearance since the 2020 season with a 23-yard TD pass to Chris Godwin.

It was a disappointing finish for Philadelphia (11-7), which lost to Kansas City in last year’s Super Bowl and then spent spent much of this season resembling a club focused and determined to get back to the title game. BELICHICK INTERVIEWS IN ATLANTA >> Bill Belichick signaled he’s ready to get back to coaching less than a week after parting with the New England Patriots, speaking with the Atlanta Falcons about their vacant position. The Falcons announced they had interviewed the 71-year-old Belichick, who left the Patriots on Thursday after 24 seasons and a record six Super Bowl championships.