JJ Watt knows how Jason Kelce is feeling as the Philadelphia Eagles center contemplates his retirement from the NFL.
Watt, 34, retired from the league in 2022, and now the former NFL star tells PEOPLE that Kelce, 36, has “a very tough decision to make” before the start of the next season.
The former defensive end explains, “It’s been the only life that you’ve known for so long. Most of us started playing football in fifth grade. So, literally, the majority of your life has been spent playing football.”
After so many years, the demanding NFL schedule becomes the norm for players, says Watt. “August, you go to training camp, and September, October, and November, you’re playing football and trying to figure out if you’re ready to walk away from that, and what your life will look like beyond that is very, very difficult.”
Watt adds, “I know exactly how it feels in the relationships, with the camaraderie in the locker room. There’s nothing else like it. So it’s very hard to walk away from all that.
Still, Kelce has had “an unbelievable career,” says Watt, “And if he chooses to walk away from that, he’s done everything there is to do.”
He’s a hall of fame player and he seems to have an incredible family. He’s going to have a whole lot of fun making brand new memories. And also, it seems like, drinking a whole lot of beer and taking his shirt off at his brother’s games,” says Watt, poking fun at the elder Kelce brother’s shirtless antics while watching his brother, Travis Kelce, and the Chiefs defeat the Buffalo Bills.
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