It’s unclear whether Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce will retire after the 2023 season.
If the 36-year-old veteran decides to retire, Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder believes current Tennessee Titans center Aaron Brewer is a great choice for Philly.
“Jason Kelce contemplated retirement last season and is widely expected to hang ’em up at the end of the current campaign when his contract expires,” Holder said in an email on November 20. “There are a few different ways the front office can go about replacing Kelce, signing Brewer being one of them.”
Comparing Kelce to Brewer, a five-time first-team All-Pro and future Hall of Famer, is like comparing apples to oranges. However, if Kelce retires, the Eagles could do much worse than Brewer as a successor.
Brewer joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2020 after graduating from Texas Tech. Over the last four seasons, he has participated in 51 games (33 starts) for Tennessee.
Brewer has a market worth of $5.2 million a year and has been a “solid-to-good player” over his four-year career, according to Holder. That would be a fantastic deal for the Eagles, especially since Spotrac estimates they have around $28.3 million in cap room to start the offseason.”
Since entering the league, the 6-foot-1, 274-pound Brewer has proven to be versatile. Over his first three years, he has played 1,299 snaps at left guard and 209 snaps at right guard. This season, he moved to center full-time, and it has gone well.
In 368 pass block snaps this season, he has allowed 12 hurries, 3.0 sacks, and six QB hits, according to PFF.
Brewer will be an unrestricted free agency in 2024, and as Holder observed, he should be reasonably priced.
With the Eagles now possessing the best record in the NFL (9-1), a second-straight Super Bowl participation appears to be on the horizon. If the Eagles keep winning and Kelce stays healthy, a return in 2024 is a distinct possibility. If the Eagles win the Super Bowl at the end of the season, it will be a fitting send-off for the Eagles great.
During the live broadcast of Philadelphia’s crucial week 11 Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, commentator and analyst Troy Aikman stated that the Eagles will try to keep Kelce since the veteran offensive tackle is still in outstanding shape.
“We have a lot of great coaches and a lot of talent.” “When we start clicking and putting together full games, we’ll be that much better,” Kelce said after defeating Kansas City. “I believe that will begin to happen. We have the players and all of the pieces to do it. “I’m overjoyed to be 9-1.”
“No one sets the table and brings everyone together like Jason Kelce. Nobody I’ve ever known does it. After the Chiefs game, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni stated, “I’ve been around some really good guys who get everyone in position.”
Until Kelce confirms his retirement plans, rumors will continue to circulate. It’ll be interesting to watch what he decides, but how Philadelphia’s season ends could also make a big difference.
