By now, Jason Kelce has to know he's very much wanted.
The Eagles' longtime center has fielded enough questions about his future for five retirements, and even received a special delivery from coach Nick Sirianni: a keg of beer, dropped at his doorstep.
Philadelphia wants Kelce back. It's up to Kelce to decide if he wants to be back on any football field.
"Fair question. I'll answer it like this. I've answered it like this in the past," Kelce said during an appearance on WIP, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. "I'm playing until I'm not. I'm an active player for the Philadelphia Eagles right now. I love my teammates, I love playing in the city. When it's time to step away, I'll make that abundantly clear.
"I don't want to announce anything on the radio. I kind of feel like everything is trending in a certain direction but I'm going to make that clear to my teammates and coaches and everything like that first. I will not be announcing that today."
Kelce is taking his time with his decision, as is his right. The four-time All-Pro center and five-time Pro Bowl selection has been an essential part of Philadelphia's franchise for the majority of his career, and especially in the last couple of seasons, helping the Eagles navigate treacherous waters and make a surprise appearance in the playoffs in 2021. He's as dependable and tough as they come, starting in every possible game in each of the last seven seasons.
It's easy to see why Sirianni and the Eagles want him back. A keg of beer -- and a one-year contract at Kelce's market value -- is a minuscule price to pay to help convince a franchise pillar to stick around for another year.
"I've been meaning to like post something on social media. I'm terrible at that," Kelce said. "It was one of the highlights of the offseason, actually, the highlight of the offseason. I forgot how much beer is in a keg of beer so it's taken me some time to get it down."
Kelce has to know he's loved in Philadelphia. With the new league year arriving in mere days, a decision would seem to be imminent, but Kelce isn't rushing it.
"You're going to regret some part of it either way if you make that decision," Kelce said. "If they tell you you're done, it is what it is, you're out the door. But that decision, there's going to be some amount of regret either way. You're going to regret not being in the locker room, with your teammates, going out on the field. And then if you come back, if something happens, why did I continue to do that? Try to not live a life of regret. Try to just enjoy the moment, enjoy the people around you."
