Jason Kelce Still Mulling Decision to Return or Retire, and Talks Hall of Fame
Jason Kelce was on 94WIP sports radio on Friday morning to talk about his Super Bowl memories from four years ago to the day that the Eagles defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 41-33, in Super Bowl LII, played in Minneapolis, Minn.
To the hosts’ credit, they did not let the veteran center escape questions about his immediate future and his thoughts on the Hall of Fame.
Joe DeCamara asked Kelce where his mind was when it came to returning for 2022 or retiring.
Kelce, 34, said he was still in the midst of thinking about what he would do. He’s doing what he has done the last few years, clearing his head and letting the emotions from last season fade.
“We started off so rough and finished really strong, then obviously the playoff game went really poorly,” he said. “I think the biggest thing for me right now is to step away and let all that calm down.
“Right after the game I’m like, man, is that really going to be my last game in the NFL? But unless you win the Super Bowl they’re all going to end on a bad note. I think the competitive side of me really wants to keep playing. There’s no question about that, but it’s getting harder every single year.”
Kelce said one thing that has helped extend his career, and that of others, is the way practices are conducted now. Veteran players are typically given Wednesdays, and sometimes Thursdays, off to rest.
Still, he would not commit to a decision, yet, though he sounded like he was leaning toward returning, especially when he said during the interview that he was looking across the field and seeing Doug Pederson when the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars visit Philadelphia this fall.
“We’ll see (about returning),” Kelce said. “I want to, but I gotta make sure it’s the smart thing to do, that I can still 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.”
FIND THE INTERVIEW LINK HERE:
As for the potential to one day enter the Hall of Fame, DeCamara asked Kelce how much he thinks about the possibility.
“I thought about it just because people have talked about it I guess,” said the center. “I remember talking about this with Chris Long - he was talking about the Hall of Fame - and I’m like, why are we even talking about this, man? That’s such a rare opportunity that so many things have to go right for that to happen.
“I don’t know. It’s hard to imagine being in that type of company as a player because, to me, a Hall of Fame player is somebody that is scheme independent, like this dude is so good, he can go out there, it doesn’t matter who the coach is, it doesn’t matter who’s playing next to him, he’s going to go out there and dominate, and that’s never been me.
“But I do have a skillset that when used properly is very very…it’s just different. It’s allowed us to have success and it’s allowed me to have success. When I play next to great players and have great coaches, I play really well, but I don’t know if that’s indicative of a Hall of Fame player.”
Kelce added that the Hall of Fame possibility won’t enter into his decision-making process on returning or retiring.
“It doesn’t motivate to try to play further to try and achieve that,” he said.
“I think have thought about it because people have written articles and guys have asked me about it, but if it does happen, it’ll be largely because I played next to unbelievable players, an unbelievable offensive line that the Eagles have invested in every single year, and unbelievable coaches, whether it was Howard Mudd or now Jeff Stoutland who’s finally getting the praise that he deserves.
"All of these pieces have allowed me to excel and play at a high level, so if I do get that achievement one day, it’s not going just to me.”
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
