Travis Kelce Wipes Away Tears as His Brother Jason Announces Retirement from NFL

Travis Kelce wiped away tears as his brother, Jason Kelce, emotionally announced his retirement from the NFL.

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Travis Kelce Wipes Away Tears as His Brother Jason Announces Retirement from NFL
Jason Kelce spent 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before announcing his retirement on Monday

By Natasha Dye Published on March 4, 2024 01:57PM EST
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce (62) and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) hug after an NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Nov 20, 2023 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO
Travis and Jason Kelce. PHOTO: SCOTT WINTERS/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY
Travis Kelce wiped away tears as his brother, Jason Kelce, emotionally announced his retirement from the NFL.

Travis, 34, was in the front row on Monday as Jason, 36, delivered a heartfelt address to say that he was ending his NFL career. The Chiefs tight end sat alongside Jason’s wife, Kylie Kelce, and parents, Donna and Ed Kelce during the emotional speech.

After 13 seasons playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, the beloved Super Bowl winner struggled through tears to get through his speech, thanking everyone who’s supported his football dreams, including Travis.

Jason spoke about the relationship with his brother, mentioning their years playing sports together as kids and the joy they both felt when the other was drafted into the NFL. “We have a small family. No cousins, one aunt, one uncle. It was really my brother and I our whole lives,” Jason explained. “We did almost everything together — competed, fought, laughed, cried and learned from each other.”

He recalled “inventing games” with Travis, and said they “imagined” themselves as “star players” in the NFL one day. “We won countless super bowls in our minds before ever leaving the house,” Jason said.

Of Travis’s support throughout the years, Jason said, “It made me stronger, tougher, smarter, and taught me the values of cooperation, loyalty, patience, and understanding.”

Travis has spent the last few days in Philadelphia ahead of Jason’s press conference. On Sunday, the brothers supported a charity fundraiser for cancer survivors in honor of Brendan McDermott, a 38-year-old man who passed away in May.

The NFL stars wore Team Rectify shirts in support of the cause as they greeted firefighters and first responders at the event.

McDermott’s in-law, Jess Viola, shared a carousel of photos from the day on social media, writing, “i’ll just leave this here. these two are awesome. i know brendan is smiling down right now. some legends wearing #teamrectify hats.”

Before Philadelphia, Travis enjoyed a quick trip to Los Angeles, where he dined at Malibu hotspot Nobu, coincidentally at the same time as San Francisco 49ers star — and Super Bowl rival — Christian McCaffrey.