Eagles analyst notes NFL Network's Jason Kelce snub
Jason Kelce hasn't missed many opportunities to get a taste of the spotlight this offseason. However, according to a July 8 Eagles Wire article, the NFL Network omitted the Eagles center from a recent Mount Rushmore listing of all 32 NFL teams.
Here's what Eagles analyst Glenn Erby had to say about the newly retired center not being named in the elite list by the NFL:
"A sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Cincinnati in 2011, Kelce started and played in 193 games over his 13 seasons. Jason Kelce is the fifth center in NFL history with at least six All-Pro selections. The other four — Jim Otto, Bulldog Turner, Dermotti Dawson, and Jim Ringo — are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," he wrote.
Erby also mentioned Zach Ertz, who played a key role in the team's Super Bowl win over Tom Brady during the Nick Foles Cinderella story of 2017.
Among other names, Desean Jackson was also given a nod as well as Shady McCoy, Randall Cunningham and Fletcher Cox.
As for which players made the final Mount Rushmore cut, NFL Network named Steve Van Buren, Brian Dawkins, Reggie White and Chuck Bednarik.
A Mount Rushmore article names the four best players that serve as the face of its history. It is named after the famous Mount Rushmore monument that has the faces of four past United States presidents carved into the side of a mountain in South Dakota.
Jason Kelce nearing critical step in confirming retirement
Choosing to step away from the league is the critical first step to retiring. However, it is far from the only step. Jason Kelce has already quietly chosen to step away, confirmed it with his family, let his team know, announced it, and given a press conference on it. However, he has yet to truly let the rubber meet the road.
Unlike most industries, NFL players who retire at the end of a season don't see their lives change too much in comparison with the rest of the league. However, when training camp boots up in late July, it will be the first major completely mandatory part of the calendar that a retired player will miss.
As such, while players such as his brother, Travis Kelce, make plans to return to the practice field, Jason has chosen to stay on the couch. However, it will be up to him to wake up on the first morning of training camp and stay in bed or give in to the temptation to return to the league.
If he can resist this temptation, it would quiet any remaining hopes of fans asking for his return. It won't completely rule out a return overnight, but it will make it much less likely.
Will Jason Kelce confirm his exit with his actions?