Only one thing is stopping Jason Kelce to return to NFL.
The 36-year-old former Philadelphia Eagles center,who announced his retirement from football in March, now says it would take a medical miracle for him to come back into retirement.
“For me personally, my playing days are over and I don’t foresee any scenario happening, other than maybe medicine coming up with a way to get rid of arthritis, which I would never consider going back to,” Kelce told Associated press in an interview published Tuesday.
Shortly after announcing his retirement, Kelce told his brother and podcast co-host: Kansas City Chiefs right wing Travisin an episode of New Heights what your body told you it was time to give up.
“I just don’t think I can physically compete at the level I want to anymore,” he said. “My elbow and my knees, they’ve gotten to the point where the deterioration and the recovery from that deterioration hasn’t really shown up on game day, but I know it’s going to start to do that. … I’m tough on myself, and if I go out there and I’m not the player I want to be, it’s going to destroy me. So I feel very confident in the decision I made. I know it’s time. I’ve had a really good run, but that’s the biggest reason.”
At the time, Kelce also shared that he was eager to get “skinny” and hoped to reach his goal weight through simple calorie counting rather than extreme dieting.
In his interview with the AP, the six-time All-Pro honoree revealed that he has already dropped from his playing weight of 295 pounds to 275 pounds and aims to get to 260.
“They’re not going to ask me to come back and play center at 265 pounds, and I’m moving on to the next thing,” he told the outlet, noting that he’s “excited” to see his replacement, Cam Jurgens, on the field.
“I really think Cam is going to be tremendous this year. He’s going to really show people what a great player he is,” Kelce said. “He was good for us last year at right guard and he’s going to blossom at center.”
In April, Kelce discussed her weight loss goals on New Heights with guest Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“I’m in the process now, I’m retired. I played my entire career at 295. I’m trying to get to 250, 260,” Kelce explained at the time. “My goal is to lose five pounds a week. I want to lose but maintain my muscle mass. I’m trying to track my protein, my carbs, my fats, to make sure I’m hitting at least two pounds per bodyweight.”
While Kelce has hung up his pillows and is giving his body a rest, he officially joined ESPN Countdown to Monday Night broadcast team. Earlier this month, he made his ESPN debut in style for a special NFL Countdown transmission, just out your trip to Paris to attend the 2024 Olympics with wife Kylie Kelce.
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