Jason Kelce officially retired from the NFL earlier this month, concluding a remarkable 13-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Saquon Barkley, however, is holding out hope for Kelce’s return for a 14th season. During this week’s episode of “New Heights,” Barkley made his case to Kelce for a potential comeback.
“I’m like a kid in a candy store. I’m happy,” Barkley expressed. “I got a fresh start. I can’t wait to meet everybody and just go out there and play ball. In response, Kelce conveyed his anticipation, to which Barkley quipped, “You don’t gotta watch it, you know.”
Kelce reiterated to Barkley his firm decision to retire from football. He highlighted the other opportunities awaiting him outside of the game, such as potential roles with various television networks for NFL broadcasts in 2024 and beyond.
“I’ll give you one piece of advice … before you ask me to come back, I’m not going to come back,” Kelce humorously remarked. “I’m not doing it, nothing to add.”
Kelce did offer Barkley some advice, advising him not to go down at the 1-yard line. While Barkley won’t have the opportunity to run behind Kelce in 2024, the Eagles have yet to finalize their starting center position, with Cam Jurgens expected to be in the mix.
“We’ve got a lot of time. We’ve got walk-throughs to go through, we’ve got training camp, we’ve got OTAs, as far as what that looks like,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni remarked regarding the center position. Kelce wanted Barkley to understand that he won’t be making a return to the field, despite the potential excitement it could bring.
