10 Jason Kelce Moments We Will Never Forget
As we come to the likely end of the All-Pro center’s tenure with the Eagles, let’s reflect on some of our favorite moments that made him the Philadelphia legend he is today.
Jason Kelce walks off the field after a loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. / Photograph by Perry Knotts/Getty Images
After the Eagles’ dismal wild-card playoff loss to the Bucs last night, it felt like we couldn’t be any sadder. But then came chatter that, after 13 seasons with the Birds, beloved center and Renaissance man Jason Kelce would be retiring. If his tear-streaked face in the fourth quarter and post-game hugs that lasted just a bit longer didn’t tip you off, reports this morning confirmed it.
It’s not a huge surprise; he had been mulling it for years, and his documentary Kelce was even centered on that decision. But that doesn’t make it hurt less. It’s the end of an era. An era when a beautiful, hirsute man made us laugh, cry, sing and cheer. He won a Super Bowl. He saved Christmas. He embraced Philly, and Philly embraced him back.
As we come to the likely end of Jason Kelce’s tenure with the Eagles, let’s reflect on some of our favorite moments that made him the Philadelphia legend he is today.
His Super Bowl Parade Speech
Jason Kelce’s epic Super Bowl parade speech was just the beginning his legendary moments. / AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Obviously we have to begin with The Moment. Riding high from the Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl win, Kelce donned a Mummers costume and took to the Art Museum steps to cap off the championship parade. None of us would ever be the same.
His instantly iconic speech had so many quotable moments: “Hungry dogs run faster.” “No one likes us, we don’t care.” “It’s the whole team!” The amount of clothing that I own inspired just by this speech is astounding. I still queue it up on YouTube when I want to get hyped up. And I’m guessing some of you do, too. As you should.
Fat Batman
Jason Kelce as Batman / Photograph by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Last season, defensive back Darius Slay revealed that all the wide receivers were Batman. A.J. Brown was “Swole Batman,” DeVonta Smith was “Skinny Batman,” and Quez Watkins was “Fast Batman.” (There are “no Robins” here: It’s “nothin’ but Batmans.”)
Never one to miss a viral moment, Kelce got in on the Batman action on Halloween 2022. While Kelce dubbed himself “Fat Batman,” Darius Slay countered that if anything, Kelce is “Sexy Batman.” Where’s the lie?
The Eagles’ Christmas Albums
Philadelphia Eagles players holding copies of A Philly Special Christmas / Photograph courtesy of A Philly Special Christmas
In 2022, the Eagles’ unexpected Christmas album was the hottest holiday gift no one could get their hands on. It sold out three times, and eBay opportunists turned to Grinches. Eagles offensive linemen Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson sounded amazing, and, despite the scarcity, A Philly Special Christmas raised $1.25 million for the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center.
For 2023, they got the band back together and doubled down — literally. Volume two had even more songs, special guests like Patti LaBelle, tie-in merch like a jigsaw puzzle featuring album art inspired by Charlie Brown … And then, when it seemed like it couldn’t get any better, it did. In the form of a delightful stop-motion-animated Christmas special. Watch the whimsy, below.
That Time He Played With the Philadelphia Orchestra
Jason Kelce plays sax with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2018. / Image via 6ABC Action News
While Kelce’s soulful vocal stylings were surprising, he had already revealed his musical talent. In July of 2018, his Super Bowl victory lap brought him to the Mann, where he accompanied the Philadelphia Orchestra in “Fly, Eagles Fly” on baritone sax. It was part of an event celebrating the championship season. “I can’t help but to sit and notice that this is just another microcosm of how unifying this has been,” he told the audience. “We have the Philadelphia Orchestra, the epitome of high culture, sophistication, and art, celebrating … grown men beating the crap out of each other. Thank you for letting me be a part of this.”
His Always Sunny Cameo
Jason Kelce and Beau Allen on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
When the Phillies won the World Series back in 2008, the gang from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia had to get in on the action with an episode that saw Mac writing Chase Utley a love letter and Charlie fighting the totally-not-copyrighted “Philly Frenetic.” The bar was set pretty high for Philly native Rob McElhenney for Super Bowl LII.
So for Season 13, they delivered a two-part epic that saw everyone traveling to the game … except for Charlie, who had to “defend the bar” in a gruesome, Home Alone-inspired scheme. As his superstitious rituals drove him to drink paint and ensnare himself in a steel trap, he hallucinates Eagles Jason Kelce and Beau Allen. “Every single thing that every fan does, at home or at the stadium, makes a direct impact on the game,” Kelce tells Charlie. (He also tells him he has to re-trap his bloody leg to keep the magic going. “Same leg,” he insists. Rules are rules.) And it works.
Underdog Apparel and the (Be) Philly Foundation
Jason Kelce shows off some of his Underdog apparel from his new clothing line benefiting Philly kids. / Photograph by Laura Swartz
Inspired by his Super Bowl parade speech, Kelce launched the Underdog apparel line in 2022. The gender-neutral collection of t-shirts, hats and bags — all designed, printed and packaged in Philadelphia — benefit Kelce’s (Be)Philly foundation, which funds and promotes evidence-based programs that help Philadelphia students achieve and excel. (The foundation’s current beneficiaries are Coded By Kids and Heights Philadelphia.) When I spoke to Kelce about his philanthropic efforts back in September, he told me, “I owe so much back to the community and to the city that I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to repay that debt.”
The clothing line’s latest design? A collab with Philly illustrator Heavy Slime.
“New Heights”
Jason and Travis Kelce pose for a photo during Game 1 of the NLCS between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, October 16, 2023. / Photograph by Gabriella Ricciardi/MLB Photos via Getty Images
As we all know by now, the Kelce brothers host a must-listen podcast called “New Heights” that gives fans a hilarious glimpse into their relationship and football careers. It’s been an endless source of inside jokes and fun. (And, yes, it’s where we first learned of Travis Kelce’s efforts to court Taylor Swift.)
A personal favorite moment? After a playoff game last January, the podcast led to a real-life fan moment that involved Jason Kelce signing a baby doll. For the record, Jason says would sign an actual baby if someone asked him to. Travis wouldn’t.
The Kelce Bowl
Jason and Travis Kelce after Super Bowl LVII / Photograph by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Speaking of Travis Kelce, the big story of last year’s Super Bowl was that it pitted brother against brother for the first time in NFL history.
And it was a family affair in more ways than one: Jason’s wife, Kylie Kelce, would travel to the game 38 weeks pregnant — with her ob-gyn (and two toddler daughters) in tow in case the couple’s third daughter decided to make an early appearance.
But it was the Kelces’ mom, Donna, who became the standout star. She brought her homemade cookies to Arizona for them and wears custom mashup gear of her two sons’ jerseys. So, who was she rooting for in Super Bowl LVII? “The offense.”
Donna Kelce gives cookies to her sons before the Super Bowl. / Photograph by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Of course, we all know how that ended. (“You didn’t win,” adorable toddler Ellie Ray Kelce would matter-of-factly tell her dad after the game.) But it was a lot of fun while it lasted. And Donna embraced both sons as the red confetti rained down in Arizona.
Kelce Documentary
Jason Kelce poses with his mom and Eagles mascot Swoop at the premiere of Kelce. / Photograph by Laura Swartz
Any film about this man was going to be worth watching; his personality always shines on camera. But Kelce, the Amazon Prime documentary that debuted this past September, still managed to surprise. Kelce originally wanted to make the documentary to chronicle his decision to retire from football after his 11th season — and the uncertain transition that comes with that. But as Kelce questioned whether to hang up his cleats, the film was unwittingly capturing a legendary season that ended with a Super Bowl run.
Along the way, fans were given a deeply personal and relatable glimpse into the highs and lows of Kelce’s life, family and career. Yes, he’s the man who donned a Mummers costume and gave a victory speech for the ages. But he’s also the man we watch walk around his house stiff with pain, and who soberly muses on the prospect of not being able to play with his grandkids if he develops CTE. He’s the man reading Dr. Seuss to his daughters. And he’s the man who comes home to an Arizona hotel room not to a hero’s welcome but to a toddler coloring and regretting that “Uncle Travvy winned.”
Being Named People’s Sexiest Man Alive
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder… https://t.co/Kzm0xD2aG9
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) November 8, 2023
This past November, Jason Kelce was included in People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” issue. Tell us something we don’t know.
Jason Kelce may not be on the Eagles roster after this season. But he will always be an Eagle, and he will always be a Philadelphian. He gave us 13 years of pure heart and muscle. He gave a voice to the underdogs and a rallying cry to last us through the ages. He even wrote us a Christmas carol.
From all Philadelphians, Jason: Thank you.
Photograph by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
