January 12, 2019

Report: Eagles C Jason Kelce 'likely to retire'

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

According to a report from Al Thompson of 610 ESPN Radio, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce "will likely retire" whenever the Birds' 2018-2019 playoff run is over.

A non NFL source with ties to his family informs that at the end of this playoff run, Eagles Pro Center Jason Kelce will likely retire. Since the 2011 sixth round pic out of Cincinnati is healthy, it's unknown if it's for a job in the media or another opportunity. Kelce is 31. pic.twitter.com/sncqh5oX2y
— Al Thompson (@thompsonIII) January 12, 2019

Attempts to reach Kelce were not immediately successful.

Kelce is, in my opinion, the best center in the NFL, and would be an enormous loss if indeed he did retire. He is also currently playing on one of the biggest non-rookie contract bargains in the league, set to make just $6,500,000 in 2019, with no guarantees. He is currently the 14th highest-paid center in the NFL, in terms of average per year.

No center in the NFL can do what Kelce does athletically, even at the age of 31. He is an elite player in the screen game and pulling to edges as a lead blocker. He has also eradicated any criticisms of his previous inability to anchor against bigger defensive tackles, which used to give him fits earlier in his career. And, of course, beyond his physical ability, Kelce is universally considered a highly intelligent player responsible for making correct calls at the line of scrimmage.

The Eagles depth chart along the interior of their offensive line currently looks like this:

LG	C	RG
Isaac Seumalo	Jason Kelce	Brandon Brooks
Chance Warmack	Stefen Wisniewski	Matt Pryor

If Kelce is not around in 2019, interior offensive line help would immediately become a priority this offseason, though Kelce's importance to the team would be almost impossible to replace.