Jason Kelce is not one to wear flashy accessories, but he made an exception when announcing his retirement from the NFL.
At the Monday, March 4, press conference — which saw a tearful Kelce, 36, say goodbye to football after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles — the star athlete paired his black tank top with a Rolex watch.
The timepiece was no ordinary accessory (not that a Rolex ever could be). The yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master II was a special team commission following the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in 2018. The watch features a green dial and a black ceramic bezel (a nod to the Eagles’ colors) — and it comes with a $50,000 price tag.
Kelce opened up about the watch and its significance last month during an appearance on the “Green Light With Chris Long” podcast. “Super Bowl rings aren’t fun to wear,” he began. “First of all, you feel kind of like a douche, a little bit, I feel like, when you’re wearing it. It feels like you’re like, ‘Oh, look at me! I won a Super Bowl!’ And they’re also really big and clunky.”
He added, “They’re not comfortable. So we all decided — along with a couple other guys on the team — let’s just have Rolexes made commemorating the Super Bowl.”
Kelce and his teammates recently scored another watch when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gifted everyone with timepieces for Christmas, Kelce revealed in December 2023. Hurts previously blessed the team with Louis Vuitton duffel bags, which Kelce sported throughout the past NFL season when traveling, often pairing the luggage with his signature flip-flops.
Kelce’s retirement decision proved to be an emotional affair. In his speech, he spoke about his passion for the sport and his undying love for the only team he ever played on.
“Thirteen years in Philadelphia and I look back at a career full of ups and downs,” Kelce told viewers before launching into some of his best memories as a center for the Eagles.
The athlete shouted out all his past coaches, considering himself “lucky” to have played for all of them. Jason also recalled being drafted to the NFL and at one point even referred to his mom, Donna Kelce, as a “representative” for parents who “sacrifice so much for their children.”
An all-time great giving an all-time great retirement speech. @JasonKelce, forever a legend. pic.twitter.com/8jNXEcrizp
— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2024
Jason looked back at the Eagles’ devastating Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023, offering a lengthy memory about his “bond” with brother Travis Kelce.
“It’s only too poetic [that] I found my career being fulfilled in the city of brotherly love,” Jason said. “I knew that relationship all too well.” Of course, Jason offered a sweet shout-out to his “beautiful” wife, Kylie Kelce, remembering the night they first met after matching on Tinder.
“So, this all brings us here to today,” he concluded. “Where I announce that I am retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.”
