Howie Roseman reveals trying to recruit Jason Kelce out of retirement for special job with Eagles
Jason Kelce is still a man that the Philadelphia Eagles want to have inside the organization. The Eagles lost the superstar during the offseason. Kelce retired from the league after 11 years of service, a Super Bowl ring and many memories created over his time: he was a community icon along with a great player.
To lose Kelce certainly resulted in a void that the Eagles wouldn't be able to fill easily, but Howie Roseman didn't want to have him out of the building entirely. As Philadelphia hosts its training camp, the general manager revealed to Kay Adams that he also wanted Kelce to work as his scout as soon as his NFL career was done:
"I think Jason would be great at anything in football," Roseman told Kay Adams. "I think he'd be a heck of an evaluator. I tried to recruit him to come work with me too, because he can evaluate players. ...
"When we were in that draft, I gave him a few centers that we really liked and he came out and said, 'I love Cam Jurgens.' Luckily I only give him the players that I like so he can't come up with somebody else."
It was revealed a few years ago that the former Eagles center was really interested in Cameron Jurgens during his pre-draft analysis. His opinion was worth gold since the team indeed drafted Jurgens and he'll be Kelce's replacement as center from the 2024 season onwards.
What made Jason Kelce so important to the Eagles?
Jason Kelce wasn't a common center. He's smaller than the average player at the position, but his athleticism allowed him to reach the second level quickly while holding bigger defensive linemen due to his functional strength. His technique allowed him to play bigger than his size.
There's no way to describe how important Jason Kelce was to the Philadelphia Eagles. He was not only a great center - he was the pillar of their offensive line and one of the most important guys in the locker room. With Kelce and Fletcher Cox retiring from the game, a big void has opened and new leaders will have to emerge on the roster.
There's no doubt that it will be impossible to replace his quality on the field and his relationship with the community off of it, so there's no point in even trying. No one could do the same discourse as he did after the Super Bowl win and the whole underdog thing.
The best that the Eagles could do is start over in the position and just develop a new leader without the pressure of being Kelce. Jurgens is the one for this mission.