Travis Kelce was in tears as his brother Jason delivered his retirement speech in Philadelphia on Monday.
The Kansas City Chiefs star was pictured wiping his tears while sitting front row with their parents Ed and Donna, as Jason held his closing press conference after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
During the speech, Jason mentioned playing football with Travis in the backyard as kids. He also recalled the emotion he felt when he got drafted into the NFL, and when Travis got drafted two years later.
‘I won’t forget two years later, that same man [Ed] and my brother receiving a call when he got drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. This time we were both in tears.’
Jason continued to praise Travis and relished their relationship, even when they competed against each other. Jason pointed out how his career brought him to the City of Brotherly Love but – but he ‘always knew what it felt like.’
Travis Kelce was in tears as his brother Jason delivered his retirement speech in Philadelphia
A very emotional day for the Kelce family as Jason announces his retirement 🥹💚
(via @EliotShorrParks)pic.twitter.com/BWEzwvF0ul
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) March 4, 2024
After 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Jason Kelce officially announced his retirement
‘There is no chance I would be here without the bond Travis and I shared,’ Jason shared.
‘We have a small family. It was really my brother and I, our whole lives. We did almost everything together, competed, fought, cried. We invented games, we won countless Super Bowls in our minds before we left the house.’
Jason also detailed how he felt when he and the Eagles lost to Travis and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last year.
‘I won’t forget falling short of the Chiefs – the immense feeling of heartbreak I felt selfishly for myself and my teammates and at the same time the amount of pride I had for my brother.’
This past season, the Eagles went 10-1 in their first 11 games. However, they experienced a late-season skid and lost five of their last six meetings.
The Kelce brothers both found success in the NFL and squared off in the Super Bowl in 2023
Jason and Travis shared a moment off stage after Jason wrapped up his retirement speech
The outcry from the Philadelphia fanbase peaked when they lost, 27-10, to the struggling New York Giants in their season finale. The defeat was followed by another blowout to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round.
After the 32-9 loss, it was reported that Kelce told his teammates in the locker room he was retiring. However, the center denied the speculations, claiming he was ‘still figuring out’ the situation.
On Monday, Kelce officially hung up his cleats in an emotional press conference. After stepping off the stage, Jason approached and hugged Travis before his wife Kylie and their parents.
Kelce’s career was highlighted by seven Pro Bowls, six first-team All-Pro selections, and a Super Bowl title in 2017.
Travis Kelce Spends Time in Philadelphia While Taylor Swift Plays String of Sold-Out Shows in Singapore
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Travis Kelce is spending some time in his brother’s neck of the woods.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, was in Philadelphia, which is where his brother, Jason Kelce, lives with his family and plays football, over the weekend. While Travis was in town, he made a pit stop with celebrity barber Willis Orengo, and the barber shared a photo of the two on his Instagram on Saturday.
“Not 1️⃣ Not 2️⃣ but 3️⃣ ❎ Super Bowl Champion !!! When Travis is tired of his own haircut he gets the @jvalanciunas 🤣😂🤣 !!!,” Orengo wrote in the post’s caption. He shared a photo posing with Travis, who was dressed casually in a navy sweatshirt and sweatpants, and rocking a fresh cut. “But all jokes aside I got the the big yeti clean 🧼 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶 !!! #nfl #bigyeti #nyc #philly #wellconnected #kc #kcchiefs #traviskelce.”
Earlier Saturday, Orengo had reposted a photo from his fiancée on his Instagram Story, revealing that they’d traveled to the Pennsylvania city. “Little drive to Philly last night with @willisthebarber” was written across an image of what appeared to be the same room featured in the shot of Orengo and Travis. A giph of the tight end dancing in his Chiefs uniform was also included in the post.
Travis’ fresh cut comes amid his girlfriend Taylor Swift’s latest stop on her record-breaking Eras Tour. Swift, 34, performed her second show in Singapore on Sunday and delighted fans when she announced the fourth and final version of her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department.
WILLIS ORENGO/ INSTAGRAM
An image of the new version of the album, featuring previously unseen artwork of Swift running her hands through her hair, appeared behind her on stage, per a fan post on X (formerly Twitter). The image also revealed a bonus track titled “The Black Dog” will be included in the latest edition.
The pop superstar also posted the news on Instagram, which came a day after she shared a glimpse into her own family ties with Singapore. During her first sold-out show at Singapore National Stadium on Saturday, she reflected on the childhood of her mom, Andrea Swift.
“My mom actually spent a lot of her childhood with her mom and dad and sister growing up in Singapore,” the singer said in video from the night posted on X. “So a lot of the time when we’d come here on tour, my mom would take me and drive me past her old house, where she used to go to school. So I’ve been hearing about Singapore my whole life.”
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Swift continued, “To get to come here and play a show this big with so many beautiful, generous people who are essentially honoring my family with what you just did with that song, it means the world.”
“I already love you,” she added. “We’re going to have a blast tonight.”
While Swift has been in Singapore, Travis’ close friend and barber Patrick Regan joined the Tease podcast and opened up about his own blossoming friendship with the singer, who he’s gotten to know through Travis.
“Taylor is a super sweet person,” Regan said, adding the singer is “always interested in what you’re saying.”
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Regan has been Travis’ barber for six years and previously revealed that the “Blank Space” singer joins the tight end when he gets a trim. One such cut was documented on camera by Swift and later shared on Instagram in December. In a later interview with Fox News in February, Regan said that Swift “always compliments” Travis’ hair after he’s had a fresh cut.
Swift’s string of Singapore shows comes after she spent several weeks in Australia, performing in both Sydney and Melbourne — and Travis was in attendance at one of the shows to support his girlfriend.
He arrived in Sydney the day before Swift’s first show at the Accor Stadium, and the couple enjoyed a sweet day together at the city’s zoo as they were given a “private tour,” per local media outlet news.com.au.
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The following night, Travis’ wrists were lined with friendship bracelets and he danced along to Swift’s set alongside Katy Perry and Rita Ora. The pair even shared a sweet kiss after Swift exited the stage, much to fans’ delight.
While Travis has not yet been spotted in Singapore, Swift has shows in the country through March 9, and an insider previously told PEOPLE that the pair have been “making plans” to travel together in the months ahead.