By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor 
On a day where the eyes of Philadelphia sports fans were turned to the Phillies to see if they’d be signing superstar Bryce Harper, some big news was spreading regarding the future of the Eagles.
On Saturday, reports began to surface that center Jason Kelce intended to retire following the Eagles playoff run. The report came from Al Thomson of 610 ESPN Philadelphia.
A non NFL source with ties to his family informs that at the end of this playoff run, Eagles Pro Center Jason Kelce will likely retire. Since the 2011 sixth round pic out of Cincinnati is healthy, it's unknown if it's for a job in the media or another opportunity. Kelce is 31. pic.twitter.com/sncqh5oX2y
— Al Thompson (@thompsonIII) January 12, 2019
It should not come as a surprise that Eagles fans were caught off guard by the report.
Last season, Kelce was the best offensive lineman in the game. This season, he was ranked as the third best offensive lineman, first among interior linemen, by Pro Football Focus. He was also named to his second straight All-Pro team by both PFF and the AP. He has been absolutely the best player at his position for the past two seasons, including registering the highest PFF grade ever by a center last season.
Jason Kelce was by far the highest-graded center this season. pic.twitter.com/00NduGfXUr
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) January 3, 2019
Kelce did get married this past offseason, so it would not be too big of a surprise if he decides he wants to spend more time with his family.
Reports have since surfaced that the Eagles captain is expected to play in 2019.
The report that Jason Kelce is "likely" to retire at the end of this season is inaccurate, per sources. #Eagles
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 12, 2019
Hearing the retirement report on Jason Kelce is inaccurate. However, a contract restructure is certainly a goal for the league’s best center. Guaranteed money is done on deal that expires in 2020. #FlyEaglesFly
— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) January 12, 2019
Still more reports have stated that the center has yet to make any decision on his future.
As of now, I’m told #Eagles center Jason Kelce hasn’t made any decisions at all about his future regarding retirement, per a source close to the player.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) January 12, 2019
Kelce has been paid all of his guaranteed money, however. While he is owed $6.5 million in 2019 and $7 million in 2020, the Eagles could choose to cut or trade him and would be left with no dead cap, making him easily expendable to deal with cap issues.
With that in mind, moving the best center in the game would be an odd move to clear cap space as the Eagles are paying Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks and Jason Peters more on the offensive line in 2019 and Brooks and Johnson more in 2020.
The report may stem from Kelce wanting to rectify those issues. After being a top three lineman in the league and the best run blocker there is, it would be hard to argue with Kelce if he is looking to get paid more, especially with three lineman being paid more than him on the same team. The Eagles are in a difficult spot with the cap next year, however. If Kelce were to get a raise, the Eagles would likely need to save cap by working with the three aforementioned linemen who will be making more.
Kelce may also just be looking for some assurance that he will remain in Philadelphia rather than be used as a trade chip. Since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 draft, the Eagles are the only team he has known – being both the team to take a chance on him in the draft and the team to secure him a future in the league by offering him a six-year extension after his third season in the league. In that case, the Eagles would likely pay Kelce more, but would also have him under contract beyond the 2020 season.
At this point, it seems like no one can be certain what Kelce’s plans are beyond himself. Fans will just need to wait to see how this story continues to develop.
