Jason Kelce admits he’s lost 20 pounds since retirement: Two reasons why he’s adamant about losing weight

Jason Kelce walked away from the NFL in March with a broadcasting career and a future enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame waiting. Even though Kelce has plenty of projects to keep himself busy, he’s still personally trying to better himself. 

Losing weight in the mid-30s can be challenging, but Kelce has gone through the rigorous grind of the NFL for 13 years. He knows how to put weight on and take it off, the latter of which he’s done in the four months since his retirement. 

“I weighed 295 for the majority of my NFL career, and I look forward to losing some of those pounds,” Kelce told GQ regarding his weight. “I don’t want to get too small. I think a lot of guys, especially offensive linemen, they lose too much weight, and then they look like bobbleheads because their neck gets so small, but their head stays the same size. 

“So for me, I feel like for some reason, 250 to 260 feels like I’ll be still big and be happy with the way I look without having a six-pack. But I’ll still be able to have that stature a little bit. Right now, I’m about 277. I’m almost 20 pounds down right now. … But my back already feels better. My knees already feel better. So another 20 pounds hopefully will make that much more adept at playing with my children.”

Kelce has reconstructed his right knee twice, while also experiencing groin and hand surgery in his career. His body has taken a beating over the years, yet his play showed no signs of decline in his final season. Kelce was selected as a First Team All-Pro for the sixth time in his magnificent career this past season, becoming the only center since the merger to earn that many selections and a Super Bowl title. Kelce is the fifth center in NFL history with that many All-Pro selections. The other four (Jim Otto, Bulldog Turner, Dermontti Dawson, Jim Ringo) are in the Hall of Fame. 

Kelce certainly looks better with the weight loss, and intends to lose more pounds in the coming weeks. The less strain on his back and lower body will be for the better as Kelce heads into his late 30s.