March 13, 2023
Future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce announced on Monday that he is going to continue to play football in 2023, presumably with the Philadelphia Eagles.
I have put much thought into whether it makes sense to play another season. After talking it over with my wife and many other friends and family, I have decided to return for another year. Thank you to all my supporters and detractors for fueling me, I ain’t fucking done yet!
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) March 13, 2023
Kelce's contract will effectively void on June 3, so he'll have to agree to a new deal with the front office.
"You try and weigh whether you think, one, you can still do it at a high level, and two, whether you want to do it," Kelce said in the locker room after the Eagles' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. "I think that's the big thing. It's a grind. I know that I could still probably come back and perform at a high level or a good level."
Interestingly, while Kelce is still widely regarded as the best center in the NFL and arguably playing the best football of his career, he believes that his performance is in decline.
"It's getting harder every year," he said. "I'm nowhere near the player I used to be. Jalen Hurts makes all of us look a lot better and makes my job a lot easier. It's only going to go [downhill], and whether you can be accountable to your teammates and perform at that level and mentally you have the energy to be the difference maker that I feel I am in that regard, all that stuff will factor in."
Kelce remains the best center in the world, and I would imagine that when you're the best in the world at something it's kind of hard to give that up. His return to the Eagles will help soften the blow of the potential loss of RG Isaac Seumalo, should Seumalo leave for another team.
Update: The Eagles knew at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis that Kelce was returning:
92%ers GET AS HYPED AS HOWIE! @JasonKelce is BACK with the @Eagles
— New Heights (@newheightshow) March 13, 2023
Here’s the behind the scenes moment when Jason shared his decision https://t.co/GKKMfEVP0h pic.twitter.com/TyaesOcxf9
So, yeah, he'll be playing for the Eagles, if that was even in doubt.
Update No. 2: Kelce will make $14.25 million in 2023, per ESPN. That's a $250K raise, and he'll remain the highest-paid center in the NFL.
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