Season after season, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has almost retired. Though he has fortunately decided to continue returning to the field, the recurring question remains, does Kelce have another season in him?
Following the Eagles’ Week 17 loss during their devastating 2020 season, Kelce, along with Zach Ertz and Carson Wentz, remained on the field, soaking The Linc in for what could have been the very last time. Ultimately, Kelce played the 2021 season, not wanting to go out on a bad note
In fact, the center’s 2021 season proved to be another Hall-of-Fame worthy year. Kelce was named as Philadelphia’s Walter Payton Man of Year nominee, was selected for his fifth overall Pro Bowl (third consecutive), and was named to his fourth overall first-team All-Pro.
Despite opting out of the Pro Bowl, Kelce finished with 122 regular-season consecutive starts this past season.
As an incentive to return next year, head coach Nick Sirianni sent Kelce kegs of beer following the season. If only that were all it would take…
KELCE HINTS AT A RETURN
Last week, the 34-year-old addressed his retirement on 94WIP.
Jason Kelce on returning for another season: “I want to, but I have to make sure it's the smart thing to do.” pic.twitter.com/wfRurH7BYc
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) February 4, 2022
He stated, “I think the competitive side really wants to keep playing. There’s no question about that. But it is getting harder every single year, and the league has changed so much. I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep playing this long if Wednesdays weren’t significantly scaled down, if we were hitting every single day. That’s why a lot of these guys are going to play for much longer than guys have ever played.”
Kelce continued, “So we’ll see. I think, to answer your question, I want to. But I gotta make sure it’s the smart thing to do and that I still can do that and be a good teammate, a good leader, and a good player. As long as I can do all three of those, then I’m definitely coming back.”
The Eagles gave Kelce a new contract this past year; therefore, he will require a new deal if he stays. If he does retire, Philadelphia will likely turn to Landon Dickerson or Isaac Seumalo, who are both under contract for 2022.
