Jason Kelce was presented with an unexpected retirement gift during a charity golf outing on Monday: a saxophone.
The former Eagles center, who announced his retirement this offseason, played the instrument in high school and has spoken frequently about his affinity for music.
And with plenty more time on his hands after hanging up his cleats, Kelce will have a beautiful baritone saxophone to play, as seen in a video from Philly radio station WIP.
The sax was one from brand P. Mauriat, whose baritone saxophones sell for around $7,000.
Kelce was presented the gift by the Vincera Institute, a Philly orthopedic clinic, and exclaimed ‘This is nice!’ as he was handed the instrument.
‘I wanna get back into playing saxophone, I had not played in a while seriously,’ he said.
‘So maybe I’ll be able to walk down Broad Street with this thing this year.’
After Kelce was given the instrument, one of the event’s attendees played ‘Fly Eagles Fly’ on his own soprano saxophone for the crowd.
“Maybe I’ll be able to walk down Broad St. with this thing this year.”
The Vincera Institue presents @JasonKelce with a saxophone in honor of his retirement. @Vincera_Rehab pic.twitter.com/VGzJr482hs
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) May 6, 2024
Kelce, along with Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham and former Eagles tight end Brent Celek raised money for Team IMPACT (which benefits children with serious illness and disabilities) at Philadelphia Country Club.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kelce was good enough to make the jazz band as a freshman in high school, before spending his final three years in the top wind ensemble.
‘I consider a lot of my growth as a player and as a person happened learning the saxophone: being coached by conductors and teachers, reading sheet music and understanding how to practice by repeating the same thing over and over again and you see how much easier the song becomes,’ Kelce told the publication last year.
‘If you want to see how very cut-and-dry, how practice can cause you to improve, play an instrument. There’s not going to be anything more cut-and-dry. The first time you play the piano, you’re going to be pretty freaking bad. You’ll get better pretty quick just by practicing. The value of practice and the value in putting in extra time, all of that was taught from music.’
Kelce would go on to have a stellar 13-year career with the Eagles, featuring six All-Pro selections and one Super Bowl win.
He confirmed last week that he’s now joining ESPN as an analyst.
