Kylie Kelce Reflects on Jason Kelce’s Tearful Tribute During Retirement Speech

Kylie Kelce is soaking in the love from NFL fans and the city of Philadelphia after her husband, Jason Kelce, announced his retirement on Monday.

During the speech, the former Eagles center gave a heartfelt tribute to Kylie, reflecting on the night they met at a bar in 2014.

“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,” Kylie Kelce told NBC Philadelphia on Tuesday. “It was very, very sweet. Very kind. It was far too much credit.”

The Kelces officially tied the knot in 2018, a few years after meeting that memorable evening after the Philadelphia Eagles’ Christmas party.

“I still remember the moment she walked in the door,” Jason Kelce said Monday. “The first instance is burned in my retina. It was like she glided through the opening. An aura around her. 

“Then she started talking and I thought, ‘Man, is this what love feels like?’”

Kelce officially hung up the cleats after 13 NFL seasons. Since being selected by the Eagles in the 2011 NFL draft, Kelce went on to earn seven Pro Bowl appearances and six All-Pro first team nods, including in each of his last three seasons.

He went out on top as an Eagles legend. And now, he’s being celebrated by hundreds of thousands of Philadelphia fans and NFL fans alike.

“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 Kelce told NBC Philadelphia. “But at the same time, it’s still shocking. 

“It’s so—I don’t want to say excessive because it sounds like it has a negative connotation—but it’s an excessive amount. I have not been on social media very much over the last 24 hours for that exact reason. Mostly because I don’t want my mascara to run any more.”

Kylie Kelce also told NBC Philadelphia that her husband had been working on his retirement speech for four years. The tireless crafting of his retirement speech certainly paid off.