The Sign Jason And Kylie Kelce Don't Plan On Moving After His Retirement
After the Philadelphia Eagles were knocked out of the NFL playoffs in January 2024, center Jason Kelce seemingly confirmed his plans to retire. The 36-year-old has been with the franchise for 13 years, and said on his "New Heights" podcast (via Today) that "in the future, there will be something said." ESPN's Adam Schefter posted on X that Jason told his teammates that he was retiring in the locker room, shortly after their loss.
It's not a surprise, as Jason flirted with retirement following the 2023 season. His story was also chronicled on Amazon Prime's eponymous docuseries, where his wife Kylie Kelce expressed her hope that Jason would leave the NFL behind. "I don't think people realize the beating you're taking [in football] that impacts the way you interact with your family," she said in the film, via People.
But complicating things is the fact that Jason is beloved in Philadelphia, and the city would love for him to continue playing. "Jason could run for mayor of Philadelphia and win," a source told People. "[The city is] obsessed with him. Aside from his being a superstar athlete, Philly embraces him because of who he is — just a good, lovable family dude." Even once Jason opens up about his retirement and plans beyond football, don't count on him leaving the City of Brotherly Love behind. Retirement is just another chapter in the story of Jason and Philly, and the Kelce's recent land acquisition tells us this family is staying put.
Jason Kelce is expanding his Haverford, PA empire
According to the New York Post, Jason Kelce initially settled in Haverford, Pennsylvania with his wife Kylie Kelce in 2018. Haverford is just a half hour away from downtown Philly, meaning it provides easy access for Jason to report to training and games. This seemed to work well for the family, because in 2020, Jason purchased a neighboring piece of land for roughly $4 million. In September 2023, he extended his Haverford empire further, paying $1.35 million for another home close by. Sources close to the athlete report that he plans to consolidate these three separate plots of land into "an architectural wonderland decked out with every imaginable luxury and amenity." It's the move of someone who intends on putting down roots in the Philly area.
But Jason is also flexing his real estate muscles. The New York Post reports that he owns a four-bedroom property in Sea Isle, NJ — just an hour and a half away from Philly — and a three-unit rental in Cleveland Heights, OH. Per Delco.Today, Jason purchased the latter property for $160,000 in 2018.
While other NFL stars are known for their flashy homes and luxury cars, the Kelce's embrace a more modest aesthetic. Per The Mirror U.S., Jason even caught flack for his humble abode(s), but others praised him for his "normal, genuine" take on life. After all, the city of Philadelphia has blue-collar roots, and Jason truly is one of their own.
Jason Kelce loves Philly; Philly loves him
No one's surprised that Jason Kelce is staying in Philly for the long haul. The longtime Eagles center has made no secret of his love for the city, and they love him back. In 2021, Kelce opened up about the secret to thriving in a place with notoriously tough fans. "This city really appreciates accountability, appreciates people being very honest, real, emotionally invested, caring," he explained, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. "If you come up here and make a bunch of excuses and try to lie to them ... they're going to crush you. ... But if you stick to it and you fight through it and you get better ... they'll respect the hell out of you."
It's worth noting that Kelce's position, center, isn't one that's typically recognized. He's not a rookie-on-the-rise quarterback like Brock Purdy, or a leading wide receiver, but yet, everyone in Philly knows who he is. "[His] humility, sense of humor, the fact he's so real — that's something that speaks to the sort of ethos of Philadelphia in a greater sense," Kelce's friend, Charlie Hall, told The Washington Post.
And Kelce is deeply invested in the city. His charity, the (Be)Philly Foundation, is committed to bettering the lives of next-generation Philadelphians. He gave an epic speech (in costume) when the Eagles won the 2018 Super Bowl. He hosts an annual celebrity bartending event to raise money for the Eagles Autism Foundation. Why would he want to leave Philadelphia? It's his home.