Saquon Barkley. Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM
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The Philadelphia Eagles’ newest superstar did his best to keep the franchise’s seven-time Pro Bowl center around for one more season — to no avail.
Saquon Barkley — who signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles on March 13 — attempted convincing Jason Kelce to change his mind about retirement, which the 13-year NFL veteran announced March 4.
“I tried,” Barkley, 27, told NFL insider Diana Russini on The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast Tuesday, July 23. “I think that door is definitely closed.”
While Barkley might not get the pleasure of having Kelce, 36, as his center, he spoke optimistically about Kelce’s replacement on the Eagles’ offensive line, 24-year-old Cam Jurgens.
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“There’s beauty in it,” Barkley told Russini. “I’ll never be able to play with Jason Kelce, but Cam is a hell of a player. He’s young, he’s athletic, he’s smart. It’s his time. It’s going to force other guys on the offensive line to step up, too. It’s going to force all of us to step up.”
Still, Barkley acknowledged the team has a huge spot to fill in the absence of Kelce, whose legend and lore even spread to the New York Giants’ locker room, where Barkley spent the first six years of his career.
“You’re missing a lot with Jason,” Barkley said. “From all of the stories that I’ve heard from the outside looking in — just toughness, leadership qualities. It’s a challenge. It’s a challenge for all of us.”
Barkley is never one to back down from a challenge. Combined with his high-profile signing, the hiring of new coordinators Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore and the additions of players like C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Bryce Huff, Barkley and his new teammates know the pressure is on.
Jason Kelce. David Calvert/Getty Images for American Century Investments
“I think Cam and all the guys on the offensive line are more than ready,” Barkley boasted. “As a team, there’s a lot of hype around us this year. I’m really happy where we are and I’m really excited.”
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For the first time since 2010, Kelce will be watching the NFL action from the sidelines — but he won’t be too far away.
In April, Kelce signed a deal to join ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown as an analyst for the upcoming season.
“This is all new territory for me,” Kelce said at the time. “I have even more respect for it now. It’s very hard to do something live, reactive of stimulus that just happened and having something clever and meaningful to say.”
The 2024-25 NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday, September 5 when the Kansas City Chiefs (where Jason’s brother Travis is a star tight end) host the Baltimore Ravens. Monday Night Countdown will make its season debut on Monday, September 9, before the Monday Night Football showdown between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.