Jason Kelce on Philly fans: ‘If you do it right, you’ll live forever’

Jason Kelce had been to Philadelphia once before he was drafted in 2011 by the Eagles. He saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall but that was about all he knew about his new home. And then his agent told him how lucky he was to be in Philly as it would be the perfect fit for the player who left Cleveland five years earlier without a college scholarship.

“Philly might not want to hear this but I do think there’s a lot of similarities between Philadelphia and Cleveland,” Kelce said. “We’re blue-collar towns born on the backs of industry and manufacturing workers. I think they’re incredibly prideful and incredibly tough cities. They’re lunch-pail mentalities. If you run to first base in baseball, do all the little things, fight through injuries, and look like you really care and wear your heart on your sleeve, you’re going to succeed in markets like that.”

Sunday’s Super Bowl could be Kelce’s final game with the Birds as the 12-year veteran has thought about retirement after the last few seasons. He was an integral part of the team’s first Super Bowl win, delivered an iconic speech dressed like a Mummer, and endeared himself to the city during a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Kelce’s wife grew up in Montgomery County, he spends his summers in Sea Isle City, and he said Wednesday that Pat’s and Geno’s are for tourists. It’s harder to find an athlete who has immersed himself more into Philadelphia than Kelce. Regardless of what happens Sunday against the Chiefs, Kelce is cemented into the lore of a city he once knew little about.

“For as much as they get ripped for booing teams and being not-so-nice to opposing teams or even their current team, man if you do it right, you’ll live forever,” Kelce said. “Philadelphia more than most markets, you see players you have had success come back afterward. I think a lot of guys who have success in certain markets, once you’re done playing, you’re a relic of the past. Where Philadelphia, more than most cities, man they cherish the guys who have played there. They really love the guys who gave it their all for the city and represented what the Philadelphia mindset is.”