The Philadelphia Eagles had a fantastic season, although it didn’t end the way they wanted. That loss vs the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl hit the players hard especially for how close they were, but thankfullyfor the team it wasn’t enough to make Jason Kelce retire.
Philadelphia didn’t start the year as a Super Bowl contender despite having a complete roster. The main question mark was quarterback Jalen Hurts, who ended up doing more than just silencing the doubters. Hurts’ incredible performances that put him in the NFL MVP conversation also took the team to the last game.
One area where the Eagles were particularly dominant was the offensive line. They had a great group of linemen that boosted a dominant running game, though the anchor of everything was their veteran center. Kelce’s retirement was an offseason topic of discussion that was solved in a way every fan applauded.
Jason Kelce opens up on the impact of losing the Super Bowl
Kelce has been thinking about retiring for a couple of seasons. Philadelphia had some rough years after winning Super Bowl LII, so it made sense the center put things in perspective despite his elite level has never diminished. However, being part of a title candidate again made him not think turn down the opportunity to come back for another run.
There are multiple reasons why a player can choose to retire or continue playing, and the 35-year-old player gave another scoop of what his thought process was. Here’s what Kelce said on “The Rich Eisen Show” about the influence that losing the Super Bowl had in his decision.
“I do think it played a factor. I don’t think it should. I wish it didn’t. But I do think that when you go that far and get that close and it doesn’t happen, I think your emotions and energy get going, and you want to do that. You know it’s close, and you know the team is gonna be good next year as long as everybody stays healthy. We’re returning a lot of pieces on offense. So, yeah, that all plays a factor”.
