Jason Kelce voices frustration over Eagles' trade for Saquon Barkley after his retirement
Jason Kelce admitted that he's frustrated seeing Saquon Barkley play for the Philadelphia Eagles and missing out on a chance to have him play with the running back. The legendary center retired in the 2024 offseason, just when the former Giants running back signed with the team.
Jason Kelce has revealed that he has had words with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and asked him why they didn't get Saquon Barkley before he retired. Of course, that's a rhetorical question, as the running back was not a free agent before his.
Kelce said that Saquon Barkley is perhaps the best Eagles running back since LeSean McCoy, noting in an interview with Sports Illustrated:
"I tell Howie (Roseman) all the time, 'Why did you wait until I'm retired to add a piece like this?' The last time I played with a running back probably this talented was LeSean McCoy, I'd say.
"Darren Sproles I got at the tail end of his career, and he was really good, too. I've played with some good backs. I'm very thankful for the teammates I've had, but having a guy like Saquon would have been really nice."
Is Jason Kelce's Saquon Barkley admission fair on D'Andre Swift?
Jason Kelce's sentiments are understandable after seeing Saquon Barkley score three touchdowns on his debut with the Eagles. But while the center said that he didn't mean any disrespect to the teammates he played with, it was perhaps not fair to say that he didn't have some great support in the backfield.
As an example, D'Andre Swift was the running back in Philadelphia last season. He had 1,049 yards in 229 attempts at 4.6 yards per carry. Since the Super Bowl-winning center mentioned LeSean McCoy, we can compare their numbers. In three years, McCoy had 1461 rushing attempts and 6,792 yards in his Eagles career at an average of 4.6 as well.
Barring the statistical anomaly of the 17-touchdown 2011 season, he averaged 5.4 touchdowns a game, which is similar to the five touchdowns Swift had last year. Saquon Barkley's Eagles career is just getting started, so we cannot draw any solid conclusions until the 2024 NFL season is over.
Quite clearly, Howie Roseman thinks Barkley is an improvement on D'Andre Swift. But Jason Kelce's longing for wishing to play with him does a disservice to running backs who played behind him.