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NFL Legend Jason Kelce Admits He's 'Struggling'

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated May 14, 2025 6:11 PM ET

It's been over a year since Jason Kelce retired from football after more than a decade as one of the league's top centers. But it hasn't been as easy transitioning into life after football as he might have thought.

On Wednesday's edition of his New Heights podcast with Travis Kelce, Jason revealed that he's dropped around 30 pounds since retiring after the 2023 NFL season.

“I’m about 270 right now, I think,” Jason said.

But when Travis teased that he could still play in the NFL at that weight, Jason balked. He said that his ankles and knees have gotten really bad to the point where trying to do any of the things that he once did as an NFL player are now a major struggle. Weight-lifting, moving his ankles and knees, squatting, even playing golf are now a problem for him.

“270?! That’s what I played last year. You could play tight end,” Travis joked.

“Can’t, no, my ankles and knees and back won’t let me. It’s getting bad,” he admitted. “I don’t know if it’s the moment you retire mentally, your body retires too, physically, because I am just [struggling]. I’m trying to lift weights. I keep straining muscles.”

“My ankle (from) playing golf last week is inflamed,” he said. “I can’t squat now because my ankle hurts.”

It can certainly be a struggle for retired athletes to stay in any kind of ideal physical fitness.

After so many years of sculpting the body for the sole purpose of playing football, the immediate changes in diet and exercise routine can wildly change the way one's body functions.

The accumulating effect of ignored injuries finally being addressed upon retirement can be a problem too. There are countless NFL players who never had to deal with season-ending injuries struggle to move in the years since they retired.

Some people are able to just shed the pounds like they're shaving a beard. But others can sometimes find themselves getting bigger, not thinner, with no NFL structure to keep them in ideal shape.

We can only hope Kelce is able to improve and reach a more ideal weight in the months and year to come.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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