Kylie Kelce is proving she will always be Jason Kelce’s No. 1 fan — even in his retirement.
“The outpouring of love and support is expected because I know who my husband is and the way he has conducted himself and how that has touched the lives of people,” Kylie, 31, told NBC Philadelphia on Tuesday, March 5. “But at the same time, it’s still shocking.”
Kylie added in the interview that she hadn’t been on social media “very much” since Jason, 36, announced his retirement, joking the reason was “mostly because I don’t want my mascara to run anymore.”
“That’s Philly. It’s really that love and with that, the extension of people who listen to the podcast, the 92%ers, people who have become recent fans of Jason for whatever other reasons. I think that it’s overwhelming in a very positive way.”
Jason, who’s been a fixture of the Philadelphia Eagles offense for over a decade, announced his decision to retire from the NFL during a press conference on Monday, March 4. During his speech, Jason gave a sweet shout-out to Kylie and recalled the night they first met — which amused his wife.
“It cracks me up that he tries to talk about what he remembers from that night because he was, as I’ve said before, intoxicated,” she said on Tuesday. “It was very, very sweet. Very kind. It was far too much credit.”
Kylie added that she thinks she was the only one who heard his speech prior to his live announcement, and she said Jason worked on “multiple versions” of his farewell address over the last four years.
“This was a completely different version,” she said. “I think every year he sort of started from scratch as to what was sitting on the surface. But when he said that he was contemplating retirement for years, he means for years.”
Jason reportedly informed his teammates of his decision after the Eagles lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January, per NFL insider Adam Schefter. After the game, both Jason and Kylie appeared visibly emotional.
Fans have long been wondering when Jason would step back from the sport. In the 2023 Prime Video documentary Kelce, Jason and Kylie, who wed in 2018, discussed his potential retirement.
“There have been little things … not big things yet but are going to turn into big things the longer I play,” Jason shared.
In a confessional, Kylie noted that Jason’s on-field injuries have also affected him at home. (Jason and Kylie share daughters Wyatt, 4, Ellie, 3, and Bennett, 12 months.)
“I don’t think people realize the beating you’re taking then impacts the way you interact with your family,” she explained. “I always tell people that no matter what happens with football, how it ends, I would like him to retire when he’s still able to get down on the floor and play with our kids comfortably.”
She continued, “I always am very quick to point out they’re compensated heavily, but it’s crazy as a 35-year-old man being in, like, a world of pain.”
During a January appearance on Good Morning America, Kylie said she would continue to be supportive of Jason no matter what he ultimately decided to do.
“I think that it would be unhealthy to always be asking, ‘What if? What if I continued? What if I played one more season?’” she said. “I think that whatever he does, he’s going to be successful in.”
Jason was drafted in 2011 and became the first rookie in Eagles history to start all 16 regular season games at center. He led the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl win in 2018 and returned to the NFL championship in 2023 but lost to brother Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.
