“NFL games have destroyed my….”: Jason Kelce shares heartbreaking truth about the pain he still carries after retirement

Retirement has not slowed Jason Kelce. If anything, it has revealed the hidden cost of his rugged NFL career. The former Philadelphia Eagles center built a reputation as one of football’s toughest ironmen, but life after the trenches is forcing him to confront the physical toll left behind. Even a relaxed round of golf now reminds him that durability in the league often comes with a long-term price.Kelce’s growing obsession with golf has opened a new chapter in his post-NFL identity. Yet the sport’s simple movements have exposed lingering injuries he once powered through on game days. While promoting a new video project, the Super Bowl champion admitted that years of punishment in the NFL continue to shape how he walks, trains, and even chooses footwear.Jason Kelce wrote on X, “I’ve fallen in love with golf, and the season is getting ready to get revved up again. One thing I have struggled with is my weak ankles. Years of NFL games have destroyed my ankles; I don’t know that I’m cut out for just golf shoes.”The comment accompanied promotion for his YouTube feature Golf Shoes Suck, So I Made My Own, where Kelce experiments with customized golf footwear to compensate for ankle instability. The issue is rooted in a career defined by resilience. He started 156 consecutive games from 2014 onward and routinely played through injuries that would sideline most players.His injury history stretches back to a 2012 ACL tear that wiped out a full season. Later years brought a partial MCL tear, a broken foot, a fractured elbow that required a brace, and ligament damage in his ankle during the 2022 campaign. On a 2025 episode of New Heights, Kelce acknowledged how retirement has made the wear feel more immediate.“I’m trying to lift weights, straining muscles. My ankle, playing golf last week, is inflamed. I can’t squat now because my ankle hurts. I can’t bench because I sprained my pecs,” he said. “For a player who only missed significant time twice in his entire NFL career, the breakdown feels sudden and real.”Despite the setbacks, Kelce continues to reinvent himself. He is set to join the broadcast team for the tech-driven TGL league, founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, blending golf, entertainment, and innovation. For Kelce, the fairway may hurt, but it also offers a new arena to compete, connect, and stay in the game.