06 March 2024 , 02:00
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Jason Kelce, the retiring centre for the Philadelphia Eagles, turned down a whopping $9million (£7.1m) offer to extend his career for another year.
The NFL legend, 36, announced his retirement after a 13-year professional football career in an emotional press conference on March 4. He was visibly moved following his final game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs earlier this year.
Despite not having the chance to add to his single Super Bowl ring, he revealed that he was considering his options as the Eagles' post-season run ended at the first hurdle. However, after much speculation, the veteran decided it was the right time to retire.
Interestingly, it seems the bosses at Lincoln Financial Field still had plans for Kelce in their 2024 season, with Philadelphia offering him a one-year deal. After all, the potential Hall of Famer had considered retirement before the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
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According to The US Sun, the team's chiefs offered the $9m deal hoping he would be tempted to play for a 14th year. However, it is believed that the seven-time Pro Bowl pick decided to move onto his next chapter after lengthy discussions with his close ones.
An source said: "Jason is a passionate guy, he loves football so much and he went through a lot of things in the last few weeks of the season and when the Eagles season ended. He knows that he wasn’t getting younger, and seeing his brother winning another Super Bowl had him rethink maybe going back to play another season.
"But he took the best decision as he feels that he needed to stop his career. He loves Philly, the franchise, but he also wants to spend more time with his family and start another career in his life, which he knows is going to be very exciting."
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Kelce cut an emotional figure as he confirmed to Philadelphia Eagles fans that he will be retiring (Getty Images)It's still a mystery if the older Kelce brother will go for a new job on TV after meeting with some big companies last month. Reports from Front Office Sports say the newly retired player has talked with Amazon Prime, ESPN and Fox about working in a studio.
Wrapping up his time with the Eagles, Kelce expressed his gratitude and pride. He declared: "Today, I must admit. I am officially overrated. 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."
Eagles owner Jeff Lurie paid a touching tribute to Kelce. He said: "It is difficult to put into words how much Jason Kelce has meant to everyone in this organisation, to the city of Philadelphia, and to our fans. He gave everything he had to all of us for 13 years, and he did it in a way that was truly authentic.
"Jason was an incredible football player; a future Hall of Famer who would have been successful anywhere. But has there ever been a more perfect marriage between a player, a city, and a team?"
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* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.