The future Hall of Famer has cemented his status as a city and franchise icon.
Grown men and women throughout the Delaware Valley sat in front of their TVs, computers, tablets and phones on Monday fighting back tears as they watched beloved center Jason Kelce say goodbye.
Kelce’s retirement speech was a tour de force of emotion, humor, and memories, a beautifully written stream of consciousness remembering a 13-year career that cemented him as perhaps the greatest center of all time.
193 career games started.
Six times an All-Pro.
Seven Pro Bowls.
Super Bowl champion.
He is among the most athletic offensive linemen to ever play the game, a true no-doubt Hall of Famer who could very well be enshrined in Canton in his first year of eligibility.
Make no mistake, if Kelce wasn’t a good football player, we would not have been treated to all the other aspects of the Jason Kelce Experience. His greatness on the field was the vehicle through which we got to know a player who has, in my eyes, become the most popular Eagle in franchise history.
I never thought anyone would replace Brian Dawkins in that role. B-Dawk’s intensity was unrivaled and he brought a special blend of Hall of Fame talent, a controlled violence on the field breathtaking to behold, and a soft demeanor off it that endeared himself to the fanbase like few before him. And while Dawkins will remain one of the most beloved Eagles in team history, the love for Kelce is different.
Philadelphians relate to Kelce. He wore a cut-off T-shirt to his retirement ceremony. His body is not sculpted by the gods. He likes to chug beer and hang out at tailgates. He embarrasses his wife in front of her friends. He wears Mummers costumes and makes drunken speeches at important events. He seems to always be smiling, always approachable, and always fun.
Of course, the reality is Jason Kelce is a human being like the rest of us. He rides the waves of a complicated life like we all do. He is a leader. He cares about his family, his teammates and the city in a real and honest way that is obvious for everyone to see.
This decision to retire has been coming for years. We all knew it. It’s the reason Cam Jurgens was drafted two years ago. We had been hoping to forestall it one more season, but this time, the 36-year-old father of three little girls decided they needed his time more than anyone else.
Other Eagles were beloved, too. Reggie White, gone too soon, was revered for combining a preacher’s mentality with sheer physical dominance. Nick Foles put a team and a city on his shoulders and dominated Tom Brady in winning the franchise’s one and only Super Bowl. Chuck Bednarik was the ultimate Eagle for an older generation of fans, and along the way, Donovan McNabb, Jerome Brown, DeSean Jackson, Brian Westbrook and a litany of other players have had their moments of extreme popularity, but none have reached the height of Kelce.
The most popular Eagle in franchise history now moves on to conquering the world. His New Heights podcast is already the most popular in sports media, certain to help Jason and Travis rake in millions more, and he’ll have his pick of broadcasting opportunities as time goes along. He’s become a household name among the Swifties, thanks to his brother, and is one of the most recognizable names and faces in American popular culture.
We’re going to have to share him with everyone else now, but that’s OK. He was ours first.
It’s hard to imagine there was a time Kelce was underrated. He flew under the radar, third banana on an offensive line that featured Jason Peters and Lane Johnson, two future Hall of Famers themselves, as well as guys like Alshon Jeffrey, Carson Wentz, Malcolm Jenkins and Fletcher Cox. The Mummers speech on the Art Museum steps changed all that.
Moving forward, it’s hard to imagine the Philadelphia Eagles without Jason Kelce. It’s hard to see someone else centering the ball to a quarterback and then sprinting downfield to annihilate three defenders on a sweep that gains 20 yards. It’s hard to imagine him not walking to midfield for the coin flip and delivering honest post-game assessments after wins and losses.
I know these things are subjective, but it seems impossible there has ever been, or will ever be, an Eagle as popular as Jason Kelce.
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