Jason Kelce Retirement: Chris Long Contradicts Shaquille O’Neal’s “Never Dwell” Advice

Sporting a “We have to talk about it” cap, Jason Kelce finally addressed the matter of “retirement” with former NFL players. Following the sudden conclusion of the playoff phase for the Philadelphia Eagles, the emotions of the team’s center surfaced in the locker room, leading to his announcement of retirement from the league. However, later, he linked this announcement to the emotions driven by the outcomes of the wild-card game.

Although he has hinted at a return in the next season, many still speculate about his exit. Among those is NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who offered some words of wisdom to Kelce based on his personal experience. But in the latest episode of Kelce’s podcast, Jason’s guests, Chris Long and Beau Allen, expressed different opinions that contrasted with O’Neal’s words.

Pros and cons of leaving football!

Although Jason Kelce has yet to make an official statement on his retirement, the basketball great Shaquille O’Neal has something to say about Kelce and the rumors. During a recent conversation on The Big Podcast With Shaq, O’Neal advised Kelce, “If you are going to retire, accept it. Enjoy your family, brother.” He continued recalling his past, “I made a lot of dumb mistakes to where I lost my family, and I didn’t have anybody. That’s not the case for you. So enjoy your beautiful wife. Enjoy your beautiful kids, and never dwell on what we had. What we had is what we got.” On one side, the legendary athlete is asking Jason to relish his family life. On the other hand, the center’s guests, Chris Long and Beau Allen, emphasized having a football life, explaining the pros and cons of retirement.

On Wednesday’s episode of New Heights, Kelce asked his guests Allen and Long for their thoughts on post-retirement life, as the two have already retired from the league in July 2022 and May 2019, respectively. Calling it a “boring life,” Allen talked about the challenges of transitioning from football’s intense and competitive world to a more laid-back lifestyle. He highlighted the value of family in life, recalling that as players, they weren’t able to meet their families very often due to OTAs, practice, and games. However, Allen also mentioned that he misses football a lot. Chiming in, Long, too, highlighted the unique bond among players, especially in the locker room, and how challenging it is to find a similar connection in other aspects of life.

Long stated, “You need the hard stuff. You need to be challenged, and life is not as hard. And I think that’s where guys struggle; it’s like you have to get out and challenge yourself every once in a while; that’s the thing I miss.”

As the podcast touched upon the existential crisis of missing the gridiron, it would be difficult for Kelce to analyze which path he needs to choose: the path that O’Neal advised or the road advised by Long and Allen.

Read more: Jason Kelce Retirement: Philly Local Pleads Eagles Center Amidst Heart-Wrenching Admission: “Don’t Retire”

Regardless of his choice, it’s clear that his post-retirement days will be far from dull.

Options for Jason Kelce post his retirement!

When the Eagles drafted Jason Kelce in April 2011, he wasn’t a podcaster, wasn’t married, wasn’t a father, and wasn’t even a fan favorite. But now he has it all! Now Kelce has several options open to live and enjoy his post-retirement phase if he chooses to. Among his multiple interests, Kelce has a choice of media business, as his podcast show “The New Heights” is everybody’s favorite. That’s probably why the podcast now ranks in the Top 10 shows on the market.

Besides this, Kelce’s interests have also been in real estate. He has around $800,000 family residence in Haverford, Pennsylvania, a $3.96 million house on eight acres, a $2.2 million home in Sea Isle City, and a $160,000 rental home in Cleveland. Kelce has also invested in RealTruck. He is also into farming, for which he “attended Greg Judy’s Grazing School Green Pasture to learn the basics of farming and agriculture.”

Hence, this means Jason Kelce has enough resources to make money and enjoy life during his post-retirement phase.