Philadelphia Eagles all-pro and legend Jason Kelce has made his intentions about football and a few other things clear.
Who would have thought the Philadelphia Eagles would have gotten so much quality out of a six-round selection that cut his teeth in the Cincinnati Bearcats program? Well, that’s exactly what happened when Andy Reid drafted an undersized interior lineman, Jason Kelce, with the 191st-overall selection in 2011’s NFL Draft.
The Eagles selected seven players before calling Kelce’s name, including a 60-year old guard Danny Watkins in the first round (okay, he wasn’t that old) and other notable standouts like Jaiquawn Jarrett, Curtis Marsh, and Casey Matthews.
Seriously, all of you that complain about Howie Roseman’s drafts should go look at some of Andy’s, but “Big Red” definitely struck gold in the undersized center.
Kelce has gone on to earn three Pro Bowl nods in 2014, 2016, and 2019, and he’s the author of the most famous speech in the history of Super Bowl victory parades. He’s certain to enter the Eagles Hall of Fame one day, and he’s quietly made a case to wind up in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Still, even with all of that being said, nine years is a long time to do anything, and the man who once stated that his job is “boring” but “loves the comradery that it provides” is beginning to think about his mortality.
At the midpoint of April, he announced his retirement via his Instagram account, sort of. Take a look at what he said.
"Until now I haven’t address my future because I have been mulling it over for some time this offseason. I wanted to allow my body and mind to fully recover from the rigors of an NFL season, and take time with my family to see what lies ahead. After thinking long and hard about this I have come to a decision. I have decided to RETIRE… from arm wrestling. I leave behind a 2-0 record, one win against this man, and the other being against @28cgiroux and want to go out on top. It was a good run, but my drunken arm wrestling days are behind me, and it’s better to move on to a more mature future. I thank everyone along the way that has made this possible!"
You have to love this guy. Don’t worry. It gets better.
"Especially @brickandbrew for cutting me off after this debacle (which was completely warranted, love you guys) and getting me to sleep. Despite this retirement, I am fully excited for the 2020 season and will be out there with my teammates, coaches and hopefully fans this coming season. Enough media members and fans have reached out if I am playing next season, and I just wanted to make an announcement so I can stop getting asked. Can’t wait to be out there this season, can’t wait to have sports back, and I can’t wait till this lockdown is over. #GoEagles"
There you have it. Mr. Kelce is back in the fold for the 2020 regular season, and Eagles fans everywhere have a huge reason to smile during a time that’s been hard on all of us. Good gracious we’re all hoping for some football in 2020.