Jason Kelce isn't about to call it a career.
The Eagles center announced he will be returning for his 12th NFL season with a video tweeted Thursday.
"Got a lot of questions on the air yesterday about my future," Kelce said in the video. "So I decided I'd clear it up right now. Unfortunately, I've decided to announce that I'm retiring from hosting WIP. But I'm definitely not retiring from playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. I'm having way too much fun doing that. Looking forward to another year, Philadelphia. To all my teammates, let's go dominate."
Playing a starring role in the announcement video was a keg we can presume is the same one ordered by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni for delivery to Kelce's home in an attempt to convince the center to return in 2022. The pour was, well, terrible, containing far too much foam -- which ended up in Kelce's beard -- but the rest of the announcement was excellent news for Eagles fans.
Kelce, 34, has been a pillar in Philadelphia since arriving in 2011, starting in every regular-season game in all but two of his 11 NFL seasons. He's earned five Pro Bowl nods and four first-team All-Pro selections in his career, which he's spent entirely with the Eagles, and helped Philadelphia secure its first Super Bowl victory in the 2017 season. As Eagles fans will happily tell you, Kelce followed up that win by starring in the Eagles' victory parade, complete with a regal costume topped only by his hoarse, passionate speech.
Kelce proved to be a valuable leader for the Eagles during a tumultuous transition that included Philadelphia trading away former franchise quarterback Carson Wentz. With Kelce showing the younger Eagles -- including second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts -- the way, Philadelphia surprised many by earning a playoff berth in 2021 before falling to the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Super Wild Card Weekend.
The Eagles will hope to build on that success in 2022. They'll be overjoyed to have Kelce returning to resume his role of veteran leader.
