Jason Kelce’s initial reaction to losing Super Bowl LVII was one filled with mixed emotions, and a bit of confusion.
Reflecting on the 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs during a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, the longtime Philadelphia Eagles center said it took him a couple of days to get mad. Once he went through the stages of grief, Kelce had to make a decision on his playing future.
Had the Eagles been victorious over Kansas City, it would’ve probably made his decision a lot easier. But, they hadn’t been. And Kelce told Eisen that losing a Super Bowl played a factor in his decision to run it back for another season.
“I do think it played a factor,” Kelce said Friday. “I don’t think it should. I wish it didn’t. But I do think that when you go that far and get that close and it doesn’t happen, I think your emotions and energy get going, and you want to do that. You know it’s close, and you know the team is going to be good next year as long as everybody stays healthy. We’re returning a lot of pieces on offense. So, yeah, that all plays a factor.”
“If it was a different situation, I don’t know what the answer would be. I still think I would play.”
Ultimately, Kelce, a five-time First-Team All-Pro, and six-time Pro Bowler, still had the itch to play. Sure, losing a Super Bowl didn’t help. But the 35-year-old was still in a position where he wanted to continue his playing career.
“I was still in a position where I felt like for another year I wanted to do that. I do think losing the Super Bowl does play a factor, but I think ultimately, I still want to play football.”
