A look back at the many injuries that Eagles ironman Jason Kelce played through, and the few that benched him

Eagles center Jason Kelce retired on Monday after 13 seasons in the National Football League, all in Philadelphia. As an offensive lineman, that meant 13 years of taking hit after hit. Whenever coaches called for the team’s bruising specialty play, the “Brotherly Shove,” he would yell expletives in anticipation of another body-rattling slam.

In an emotional speech to announce his retirement, Kelce reviewed highlights of his career and thanked coaches, teammates, and family members who supported him over the years.

» READ MORE: Follow live updates on Jason Kelce's retirement announcement

He did not address his injuries on the field, but spoke extensively about how his health factored into his deliberations on whether to retire for an Amazon documentary focused on his 2022 season, called Kelce.

He had undergone at least seven surgeries throughout his career, he said in the documentary.

In the film, Kelce listed bones he fractured and ligaments he tore, concluding that he was in decent shape for a NFL player over 30 years old.

But the injuries impact his life off the field. The All-Pro player said that he can’t play with his children without taking anti-inflammatory medications.

“For an average person who is 35 years old — not good shape,” Kelce said.

In addition to the pain from his bones and muscles, Kelce spoke about his fears of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a disorder that causes brain cells to die after repeated head injuries and has been diagnosed in some former NFL players.

“If I get CTE and I can’t interact with my grandkids,” Kelce said in the documentary. “I would still say: playing 12 years in the NFL, making my family super prosperous, and being an influential member of at least the city of Philadelphia — is a good trade-off.”

As Kelce retires holding the Eagles franchise record of starting 156 consecutive games, a streak that started as he returned to the field after a core muscle injury in late 2014. Here are the few injuries that prevented the him from taking snaps, and the many he played through.

It takes a lot to keep Jason Kelce off the field, and in 2012 he suffered the worse injury of his career.

A Ravens’ safety stepped on Kelce’s right knee during a play in week 2 of the 2012 season. Kelce fully tore his medial collateral ligament, or MCL, and partially tore his anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL.

The ACL is one of the four bands in the knee that connects the thigh and shin bones. It is easy to tear, even without contact when the knee abruptly changes direction or stops. The MCL is another one of the major ligaments in the knee, located on the side of the knee that is below the inner thigh.

Both ACL and MCL injuries are common in sports. Last season, rookie safety Sydney Brown tore his ACL in the regular season finale against the Giants. And offensive lineman Jack Dirscoll ended his rookie year early when he tore his MCL in December 2020.

Kelce had his MCL repaired immediately following the injury, and underwent an ACL repair about a month later. He was out for the rest of the 2012 season.

Kelce underwent surgery to fix a core muscle injury in September 2014 that left him on the sideline for four games.

This injury used to be called a sport hernia, which was the colloquial term for injuries of the muscles of the lower abdomen and pelvis that athletes suffer. It often manifests with groin tenderness and pain. Kelce nursed the injury for more than two years before seeking the repair.

“I couldn’t play through it,” Kelce said last year on the groin injury. “I had to get surgery.”

Since his 2014 injury, Kelce started 156 consecutive games, the most in Eagles history.

Just because Kelce didn’t miss a game due to injury in nearly a decade, doesn’t mean that he was injury free.

Kelce played through a partial MCL tear, a broken foot, and a torn elbow that required a brace in the 2018 season.

When he injured his elbow again in a game in Cleveland in 2020, he missed a few snaps but returned to the game wearing a black brace.

» READ MORE: Jason Kelce’s career with the Eagles, by the numbers

Kelce had “routine clean-out” surgery on his elbow to address discomfort in the offseason ahead of the 2022 season. He also played that season with a torn ligament in his ankle.