- ‘Kelce’ directors say the first film was supposed to lead to Jason’s retirement
- Now they say they want to document what steps the former Eagle takes next
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The Philadelphia-based directors behind the Amazon Video documentary ‘Kelce’ will keep the cameras rolling as now-retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce decides his next steps.
Kelce, 36, announced his retirement from football after playing all 13 of his seasons in the City of Brotherly Love.
According to directors Don Argott and Sheena Joyce, ‘Kelce’ was originally supposed to be a film about his retirement – which he planned to make back in 2021.
Jason approached the two of them to make a farewell movie. But after facing his brother Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, he postponed his farewell until the game.
That documentary covered the change in decision and the increasing fame his family was receiving at the time.
Now retired Eagles center Jason Kelce will still have documentary cameras trained on him
Sheena Joyce (L) and Don Argott (R), directors of the film ‘Kelce’ say they still plan to document his decision to retire from the NFL and any next steps he may take
Both Argott and Joyce were invited to the Eagles’ practice facility last week to watch him make the announcement official.
‘We’ve kind of been making the Jason Kelce retirement documentary the whole time. I don’t know where we all end up with this (recording), but we are honored and feel really privileged to be included in his life in this way, Joyce told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
She continued: ‘When he called us… I could only congratulate him because I know what a difficult decision it was to make and how heartbreaking it is to put a period at the end of that sentence.’
Argott said filming the announcement was the highlight of a day full of emotion: ‘We were blessed to have him for 13 seasons. Jason – frankly more than anyone – has embodied what this city is all about in terms of sports, your attitude towards sports and how you play the game.
‘He is the type of player (with) heart and soul, the person we have always been able to count on.’
The pair say that since they started following Kelce around, they noticed he seemed more and more ready to take that step away.
“Jason wants to make sure he can perform at the highest level at all times and he knows that if he can’t perform at the highest level then it will eat away at him,” Joyce said. ‘It’s a really painful realization.’
The pair say the initial documentary was supposed to build up to Jason announcing his retirement from the game back in 2022. But the ‘Kelce Bowl’ ended up delaying those plans.
The Amazon documentary was released back in September. At that time, Jason and his family had more eyes on them than ever before when Travis started dating Taylor Swift.
Now, with the popularity of the brothers’ New Heights podcast, Jason has been more public than ever.
This has left many wondering what he will do next. While rumors of coaching and commentary jobs continue to swirl, Argott and Joyce say they will still follow him to see what’s next.
“We’re here for the ride and we’ll be on it as long as they want us,” Argott said.
