Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is well familiar with the Kelce family. Not only is Travis considered among the greatest tight ends of all time, but Reid was a big reason why his older brother Jason was drafted in 2011 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Back then, Reid was head coach of the Eagles where he saw the selection of not only the center but top defensive tackle Fletcher Cox the very next year.
His address may have changed, and there might be Super Bowl rings attached to his belt now, but Reid has now seen two players he had a hand in drafting finally call it careers over the last month.
Andy Reid on Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce Retirement
At the NFL‘s Annual League Meeting in Orlando, Florida, the Chiefs’ head coach spoke glowingly on the recent retirements of both Kelce and Cox — even if he hasn’t coached them in over a decade.
“That family (the Kelces), I’ve become close with it. Between Travis and then Jason, I’ve watched both guys grow,” Reid said. “My hat goes off to him. He’s going out on top as a player, an All-Pro player. Could he have played a couple more years? Probably. But that body, it’s taken a lot of pounding.”
Kelce is one of just five centers to be named a first-team All-Pro six times, joining Jim Otto, Bulldog Turner, Dermontti Dawson, and Jim Ringo. He’s the first player in league history to record all All-Pro nominations after turning 30 years old, bypassing NFL legends like Jerry Rice and Bruce Smith.
For the team and coaching staff that had the understanding to select the undersized center out of Cincinnati, though, Kelce’s retirement is the culmination of an unbelievable playing career and the start of his entertaining journey of life after football.
“I’m proud — I love the kid, and I’m proud of him for making that decision,” Reid stated. “Whatever he does, he’s going to do great at.”
While Kelce’s post-career plans could center around broadcasting and his podcast with his brother, Cox’s retirement plans have been far quieter.
Originally picked No. 12 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Mississippi State product recorded a first-team All-Pro tally of his own while reaching six Pro Bowls. He, not Kelce, is a part of the All-Decade Team of the 2010s and a dominant force on the Eagles’ defensive line for the better part of 12 years.
Cox was the last first-round selection made by Reid as the Eagles’ head coach. Reid was fired following the 2012 season, but Philadelphia’s all-time winningest head coach has been able to watch the defensive star rise to the occasion as a high-energy defender to a quality leader.
“I’ve watched him grow from a kid on up to a dominant player,” Reid explained. “And as dominant as he was, he’s a great human being. And he’s maintained that little small-town thing through this big city of Philadelphia, all the hoopla that goes with it. He maintained a level head with that.”
Both Kelce and Cox will go down as Eagles legends for their time and help in securing the city’s first-ever Lombardi Trophy. As they both begin their new careers outside of football, though, it’s nice to see their first-ever head coach still have fond memories of the time they had together.
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