In what now seems like a lifetime ago, Jason Kelce went on IG to announce his retirement…..from arm wrestling. The 32 year old Eagles center teased a post jokingly about arm wrestling and then promptly reassured everyone he would be back for the 2020 season.

In a recent interview – Kelce said this about retiring:

This has all turned into, ‘Is he retiring? Is he retiring?’” Kelce said on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. “I can’t say this enough, when I’ve decided to retire, you guys will know and it’ll be a very loud and emphatic statement.

Kelce continued…

It’s not going to be sprung out of nowhere, “he said. “That’s not my goal. For me, last year I very much felt comfortable with the way the season went. I was pretty solidified early on that I was going to play another season. I let the team know that very quickly.

He then continued into what he likes to take a step back after each season to reevaluate where he currently is with his playing career.

The reason that I keep stepping back after the season to try and make these decisions is because the NFL season is a grueling season,” Kelce said. “It’s grueling physically, and more than people realize, it’s grueling mentally, especially if you put the effort and energy required to be great into it. That takes its toll. It’s hard to continue to do that.

And you want to reflect after you’ve calmed down and you’ve gotten back to normal, to see if you can do that again and if you can give that same emotion and energy that’s required to play at a high level to your teammates and to your coaches and to the city.

When Jason Kelce retires, his plan is to let the Eagles know early in the offseason, before the draft and free agency which would give the Eagles some extra time to formulate a plan to replace their longtime All-Pro center.

There you have it. Jason Kelce will let us know. He’ll also do the best thing for the Eagles franchise and ensure that we are prepared and given an ample amount of time to find a replacement.

I for one, believe he should get back in his mummers outfit and announce retirement right from the art museum stairs in a speech that mirrors his now legendary parade speech.