Jason Kelce announced his official retirement from the NFL just last month — but his wife, Kylie Kelce, has been planning for the emotional moment for years!
The proud wife, and life-long Philadelphia Eagles fan, took to her Instagram Story on Monday to share the impressive gift that she’d been planning for her husband since speculation about his possible retirement first started a few years back.
The milestone marker, crafted by wood artist Dana Theobald, features a wooden model of the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Stadium, with a plaque dedicated to Jason, his uniform number — No. 62, since he was drafted by the Eagles in 2011 — his six First Team All-Pro honors, seven Pro Bowl honors and the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII victory in 2018.
In an unexpected bit of “keeping things in the family,” Theobald’s Instagram profile notes that she is “Building The Eras Tour one stadium at a time” — a reference to her woodwork surrounding Taylor Swift’s record-breaking tour. Swift is, of course, currently dating Jason’s brother, Travis Kelce.
“I messaged @danatheo.designs TWO years ago!” Kylie shared in her Story — revealing that the connection really was just a coincidence. “She came up with this beautiful, custom design and then waited for me to give the retirement green light and J’s final list of accolades.”
Jason and Kylie met on Tinder in 2014 and went on to tie the knot four years later. They now share daughters Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 1.
The pair celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary shortly after his retirement announcement, which featured a sweet shout-out to his wife and her years of support.
“I think it’s no coincidence I have enjoyed my best years of my career with Kylie by my side. Every accolade I have ever received has come with her in my life,” Jason said in his press conference at Lincoln Financial. “She has brought the best out of me through love, devotion, support, honesty, intelligence, and of course, a swift kick in the a** from time to time.”
Those “swift kicks” may include Kylie’s recent comments to Today show co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie about her wishes for her husband following his retirement following his grueling NFL career.
“He needs to get out of the house,” joked Kylie, who plans to continue her work for the Eagles Autism Foundation following the big life change. “It’s not that I need him to get out of the house, it’s that he needs to get out of the house. I think that with three small children, I don’t think golf is gonna cut it.”
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