Grotz: A lasting goodbye by the Eagles’ Jason Kelce … or was it?

PHILADELPHIA — It was hardly a surprise that Eagles center Jason Kelce could barely bring himself to make his formal retirement announcement Monday at the NovaCare Complex.

Thirty-six minutes into an emotion packed 42-minute discourse on memories of a likley Hall of Fame career, an event attended by his parents, his wife Kylie and his brother Travis, among others, the 36-year-old veteran made official what he had put off the last two seasons but could no longer delay.

“This all brings us here to today, where I announce that I am retiring,” Kelce said.

Kelce’s voice cracked the way yours would sharing the eulogy for a parent or sibling at a funeral. Football was, and in my opinion, still is everything to him outside his family. Yet, Kelce gathered himself, took a deep breath, looked at his notes and continued.

“I am retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles,” Kelce said. “And today I must admit, I am officially overrated. Vastly overrated. It took a lot of hard work and determination to get here. I have been the underdog my entire career and I mean this when I say it, I wish I still was. Few things gave me more joy than proving someone wrong. My mother used to tell people and still says to this day, if you want Jason to do something, all you have to tell him is he can’t. And that was true in more ways than I care to admit.”

Kelce, through the Eagles, decided no questions or guest availabilities would be permitted, and that was probably a good thing because he looked as drained as he did after the Super Bowl LII loss to Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs.

That also was a good thing because quite frankly, I don’t see this retirement lasting too long, and would have asked him about the old never say never thing if he were up to answering questions.

Sure, Kelce is being chased and courted by national and local TV and radio who want to capitalize on his celebrity. Yes, he showed some age trying to block Vita Vea of Tampa Bay in the playoffs. But let’s be honest, how many successful Tush Pushes were not started by Kelce, whose sleight of hand gave Jalen Hurts half a second or better yet, drew the defense offside? You could go down a long list of things he does to help his quarterback, linemates and team.

I don’t see Kelce making $14 million to come off the bench in the middle of a season but hey, injuries happen. And in the case of the Eagles. who knows more about the offense and the personnel? Certainly not the current coaching staff, save line coach Jeff Stoutland, who Kelce praised for helping to resurrect his career.

If there was a revelation Monday, it was that Kelce was sure he was going to be traded or cut after the 2016 season. Spoiler alert: Stoutland, who attended the presser with his daughter, saved him.

“I saw first-hand the wrath of the Eagles fans and rightfully so,” Kelce said. “I had an awful start to that season where I was often overpowered, had many holding penalties that cost our team, and looked like one of the worst centers in the league. I was wanted out of town by nearly everyone. And it wasn’t just the fans that wanted me gone. It was nearly everyone in this organization. That offseason, I heard trade rumors galore and speculation that I’d be cut. I imagined if the Eagles had received a trade offer for a brand-new set of washing machines, they may have pulled the trigger. Hell, if I was in charge, I would have pulled the trigger.”

Two seasons later a more dedicated Kelce wore a Mummer’s outfit to the championship parade down Broad Street, culminating in his rant in support of teammates and the people of Philadelphia from a podium above the Art Museum steps. It doesn’t get better than shouting “Everybody hates us, and we don’t care” on what became a national stage.

Personally, Kelce’s rage after the Chip Kelly-led Eagles were embarrassed, 45-14, in Detroit on Thanksgiving of 2015 was right up there, too. It left the Eagles 4-7. On a stool in the crowded visitors’ locker room, a passionate Kelce vowed that the Eagles would tighten up internally, and that the sources of all the anonymous and disparaging leaks he was reading about in negative reports would be exposed. Luckily some of the older vets told him how ridiculous that was.

From a technique standpoint, you’ll have a tough time proving any Eagles center was better than Kelce, one of those rare birds whose best days came after he turned 30. That’s when he made all six All-Pro teams. He played in a club-record 157 straight regular season games, and 169 in a row overall, including the playoffs. He cemented a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, a 75-minute drive south of where he grew up in Cleveland Heights, when he helped the Eagles to their Super Bowl LII win over the Patriots.

Yeah, Kelce’s podcast with Travis is killing it (nice assist from Taylor Swift fans, eh?) but come on now, does anybody with any sense at all want to wager that he will never, ever play another NFL game?

Consider Jason Kelce’s career on pause. At some point, somebody is going to ask him if he thinks he can still play, and that’s all the challenge he will need to give it another whirl.

Contact Bob Grotz at rgrotz@delcotimes.com.