Jason Kelce's Retirement Question is Now a New Year's Eve Tradition

PHILADELPHIA – Examining Jason Kelce’s will-he-or-won’t-he retirement question has become sort of a New Year’s Eve tradition the past couple of years.

Will this be the year to toast a magnificent career?

Will these be the final two regular-season games we will get to see the best center in organization history, with perhaps a final home game looming in Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys?

Every year there are whispers that this could be the end for him.

Kelce always says he likes to take a few weeks after each season ends to reflect on what he will do and that when he does decide to put an exclamation point on a resume that should be seriously considered for the Hall of Fame, he will so in memorable fashion, sort of like his speech at the Eagles’ Super Bowl parade was.

It doesn’t seem likely because he is still playing at an incredibly high level and was just voted into his fourth Pro Bowl. He hasn’t missed a start since 2014 and in Washington on Sunday, he will make his 121st straight start.

There is a very good chance he will be named first-team All-Pro, which would be the fourth time in his career that will have happened. He is one of just six centers since to earn at least three first-team All-Pro honors since the 1970 merger.

The other five are in the Hall of Fame: Dermontti Dawson (six), Mike Webster (five), Dwight Stephenson (four), Jim Langer, and Kevin Mawae (three each).

If he chooses to retire, there is no question Kelce will be going out on top, but, as they in the sports writing world when it comes to writing stories, “always leave them wanting more.”

Besides, how many times have we seen players no matter the sport hang on too long?

With Kelce, it always seems like one of the criteria in his decision-making process has been how he feels physically.

He is 34 and will turn 35 during next season should he continue on.

It’s an age where aches and pains tend to linger longer. Bumps and bruises take longer to heal.

Also, he has two young daughters now to watch grow up.

My guess is this will be it for Kelce. It’s just a hunch, so, as is often heard in the sports writing world, “don’t quote me on it.”

It will be both a happy and sad day for the organization, but the Eagles will have to move on, and they have Landon Dickerson who could go from left guard to center.

Or they could tap the draft and build on an offensive line that has been the best in the league with the best coach in the league in Jeff Stoutland and spend one of their first-round picks on Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, whose size dimensions – 6-3, 295 – are about the same as Kelce.

It's something to keep an eye on over the next month or so.

GOEDERT’S YPC

Tight end Dallas Goedert is averaging 15.2 yards per catch, which leads all tight ends. In fact, there are only four players ahead of him with a minimum of 50 catches and they are receivers: Deebo Samuel (17.8), Ja’Marr Chase (17.1), Tyler Lockett (16.2), and Chase Claypool (15.8).

It should be noted that not since Brent Celek averaged 15.7 yards per catch in 2013 has an Eagles tight end put up the kind of ypc Goedert is. Zach Ertz’s highest ypc was in his rookie season of 2013 when he averaged 13.0 ypc.

Goedert had a career-high 135 yards receiving in the first matchup against Washington, which will host the Eagles in a rematch on Sunday.

“I was able to kind of attack all three phases – short, medium and long – that game,” he said. “If they’re going to give us man-to-man, I’m going to beat my man coverage. If they play zone, just the way they play their zone, there are going to be soft spots, and if you can find those and the quarterback can hit you, you can make big plays off of those, too.

“No matter what they’re going to do, you just have to find ways. If they’re in zone attack, (find) the part of the zone that’s going to be open, and if it’s man-to-man, just win your one-on-one matchup. That’s all you can control. They’re definitely going to do things whether it’s cutting safeties or different things. We have different tactics to go at them.”

Eagles RBs at Thursday's practice: from left to right: Kerryon Johnson, Jason Huntley, Jordan Howard, Boston Scott, and Jordan Howard :: Ed Kracz/SI.com Eagle Maven

HOWARD SIGHTING

Jordan Howard was at practice on Thursday. He was listed as a limited participant as he recovers from a stinger suffered last week against the Giants, and was the only player with such status on Thursday. That has to be a good sign for him to play on Sunday.

Miles Sanders (hand) was the only player listed as not practicing.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Game days you gotta dress nice. Just I mean, you look good, you play good… the wardrobe is never empty.” – WR DeVonta Smith when asked if he agreed with Darius Slay’s assessment that he was the best dresser on the team and if he has something special in his wardrobe should the Eagles make the playoffs.

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.

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