Eagles Rumors: Jason Kelce Signs 1-Year, $14M Contract as NFL's Highest-Paid Center

The Philadelphia Eagles are re-signing veteran center Jason Kelce to a one-year, $14 million contract, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, which will make him the highest-paid player at his position. 

On Thursday, Kelce announced he was returning to the team for the 2022 season:

Kelce, 34, is a five-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro and was a champion with the 2017 Eagles. He hasn't lost a step later in his career, either—he was both a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2021. 

Pro Football Focus graded Kelce as the No. 3 center in the NFL last season, behind only Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs and Corey Linsley of the Los Angeles Chargers. 

There's no doubt that the Eagles and head coach Nick Sirianni will be thrilled to have Kelce back. The latter even sent Kelce the keg of beer that the veteran center was drinking from in his announcement video:

"He's awesome and I've told him how much we want him back," Sirianni told reporters in January. "He's an unbelievable leader. Everything you hear about—if you don't know Jason Kelce personally, everything you hear about him is as advertised. He's awesome, he's a great leader, he's a great player. He's the backbone of this team. He's so smart as a football player—he makes us go as a team."

His teammates agree. 

"Whenever I have a question about the offense, I go to Jason Kelce," wideout DeVonta Smith told reporters during the 2021 season. "He knows literally every little detail for every position group. Where we're supposed to be, timing, routes, blocking—Kelce is what makes this team go."

Kelce's return, then, is huge news for a young Eagles team that exceeded expectations last season and reached the playoffs. Building upon that success will be easier with Kelce back in the fold.