One longtime Philadelphia Eagles player has been facing increasing scrutiny and calls to bring in outside competition.
Now entering his 11th season, Jake Elliott's production and overall efficiency have noticeably dipped of late. And though the once uber-reliable Elliott is fresh off a subpar 2025 showing, don't count his special teams coordinator amongst the veteran kicker's critics.
Per Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal, 'Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay says they have confidence in Jake Elliott and didn’t say they’d bring in competition.
“For him, it’s getting back to basics and falling in love with the game again," said Clay.
Jake Elliott needs to find the love of the game to get back on track
It's crucial to remember that Clay, who's been on the Eagles coaching staff for eight years, knows Elliott as well as anyone in the game, inside and outside of Philadelphia. When asked about the lack of expected competition for the position this coming summer, Clay remained resolute in his support for the vet.
"With Jake, obviously, a long career, (I'm) still confident in him, you could go game-by-game, situation by situation, but nobody really wants to hear all that," Clay remarked. "Everybody wants to know, what have you done for me last. But for Jake, 10 years in the NFL, 10 years to do it in Philadelphia, big kicks, it's hard to go against the confidence in that."
Another key quote by Clay highlighted the mindset that kickers must maintain at all times, while circling back to the all-important act of falling back in love with the game itself.
"For him to fall in love with the game again, and keep that energy up, and that confidence up, is going to be huge for Jake. And that's where I come in, being his caddie, and keeping him up in all situations."
Clay is clearly a firm believer in Elliott, who must rebound from a tough 2025 campaign, given his excellent career-long standards. As the reputable special teams coach noted, it is, in fact, a "what have you done for me lately" world of sports. It always has been, and always will be. Elliott has nailed numerous massive kicks throughout his tenure in Philadelphia, and Clay is confident he can get his swagger back.
Helping the veteran kicker rekindle his love for the game while continuing to work on restoring his confidence is one of the things Clay is determined to help with this summer. Eagles fans were spoiled for years, in a sense, when Elliott's number was called, assured of nearly automatic three points regardless of the situation.
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After nailing 74.1% of his field goal attempts last season, his lowest percentage in six seasons, it's time for Elliott to fall back in love with the pigskin and forget all the outside noise.
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