‘I sent him two kegs of beer’: Eagles’ Nick Sirianni tries to sway Jason Kelce from retirement
Kelce, 34, is considering calling it quits, but Sirianni says he's "trying to convince him every single day to come back."
Eagles four-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce is contemplating retirement at age 34.
Kelce was once again dominant in his 11th season with the Eagles. He played a big role in guiding the offensive line through an array of injuries and constant substitutions. The offensive line was the team’s strongest unit and Kelce served as the group’s anchor.
Kelce has emotionally discussed his future at multiple points throughout the past year. His on-field performance shows he still has plenty left in the tank. But for now, Kelce’s looming decision will have the team wondering what it can do to convince him to stick around.
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Coach Nick Sirianni took to some pretty extreme measures recently, pleading for Kelce’s return.
“I sent him two kegs of beer,” Sirianni said Thursday morning during his weekly appearance on WIP. “He’s awesome and I’ve told him how much we want him back. He’s an unbelievable leader. Everything you hear about — if you don’t know Jason Kelce personally, everything you hear about him is as advertised. He’s awesome, he’s a great leader, he’s a great player.
“He’s the backbone of this team. He’s so smart as a football player — he makes us go as a team. ... I think in the middle of the year I said, ‘You got five more years in you?’ As long as he wants to go, we want him to go.”
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Sirianni continued: “I’ll be trying to convince him every single day to come back and play, and we’ll see how it goes. Ultimately, Jason has to do what’s best for himself and his family, but we would love the opportunity to have Kelce back on this football team to help us lead the way again.”
Kelce hasn’t missed a game since 2014; his 129 consecutive starts (including playoffs) is the longest active streak among NFL interior linemen.