Jason Kelce: An Appreciation

The Eagles center is beloved in the Philly area for many reasons, but how much longer he will play is a year-to-year deal

Jason Kelce hit the nail squarely on the head when he said, “at some point it’s going to be the end for all of us.”

Kelce’s time has not yet come.

For the past few offseasons, the Eagles center has kicked around the idea of whether or not he should return or retire. The decision was a snap this past offseason.

“Physically it was one of the easier seasons for me,” said Kelce during an audio call late last week. “I feel good. I have my little stuff I have to do here and there and that’s annoying but definitely manageable.”

That Kelce wasn’t named to the all-decade team by the Associated Press was a joke. The two who were – Alex Mack and Maurkice Pouncey were former first-round draft picks, and maybe that had something to do with it.

Kelce, who earned first-team All-Pro honors the last three years, came in the sixth round of the 2011 draft.

It doesn’t matter now.

Kelce has settled into one of the many suburbs surrounding the city and probably won’t leave once he does call it a career. He is beloved in Philly, for a number of reasons.

Who will ever forget “the speech” on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art dressed in a Mummer’s costume during the parade to celebrate the Eagles’ Super Bowl two years ago?

It was epic.

Kelce is one of the more insightful athletes on the Philly sports scene at this moment. He doesn’t speak in clichés when asked a question. His answers have meaning because they are well thought out and well-articulated.

Take last week’s audio call, for instance. Kelce was asked nine questions and the call went nearly 21 minutes.

Kelce is also one of Philly’s toughest athletes in the city.

He arrived at the University of Cincinnati as a linebacker but was converted to center, and perhaps that is why he is so tough because he has that defender mentality.

One of my everlasting stories on just how tough Kelce was a few years ago in a visiting locker room.

Exactly where and when escapes me, probably because those memories were wiped away, and very nearly the press box food came back for a visit when after the game a bandage was slowly unwrapped from Kelce’s leg as he sat and grimaced in front of his locker.

What was underneath that wrap was not pretty. His leg was charred black as coal, the appendage looking as if had been held over a fire pit and forgotten about for an hour. He was helped to his feet by a couple members of the Eagles’ medical team and hobbled off into the training room.

Kelce played every offensive snap that day.

In fact, he has made 89 straight starts dating back to the 2014 season when he missed four games in the middle of the season for sports hernia surgery. He was supposed to miss six to eight weeks. He missed four.

In 2018, he played through a Grade 2 MCL tear, a broken foot, and a torn elbow.

“Why I keep stepping back after the season to try to make these (retirement) decisions is the NFL season is a grueling season,” said Kelce. “It’s grueling physically and more than people realize. It’s grueling mentally, especially if you put the effort and energy required to be right into it.

“That takes its toll. It’s hard to continue to do that. You want to reflect after you cooled down and gotten back to normal to see if you can do that again and if you give that same emotion that same energy that’s required to play at a high level to your teammates and to your coaches and to the city.”

Not even Kelce knows how long he will be able to do it. He will turn 33 later this year and is preparing for his 10th NFL season.

Rest assured, when the time comes, Kelce won’t go out quietly. It’s not his style.

“When I’ve decided to retire you guys will know and it will be a very loud and emphatic statement,” he said. “It’s going to be made most likely, barring some physical ailment that comes up in the season, but the retirement’s going to happen before training camp or before free agency, before the draft, it’s not going to sprung out of nowhere.”

Seeing what Kelce has up his sleeve almost makes you can’t wait until he retires.

Except the one question that didn’t get asked on the audio call is if Kelce believes his replacement is on the roster, whether it’s in the short-term should an injury arise during the season, or long term.

Whether that player is or isn’t on the team at the moment, when the day comes that Kelce calls it a career, his departure will leave a definitive mark on the offensive line.