Eagles' Roseman: Don't Want to See Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox Play for Other Teams

The Philadelphia Eagles are willing to exercise a little patience this offseason if it means Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox aren't playing elsewhere.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman told reporters Tuesday the front office is fine waiting for Kelce and Cox to make decisions about their futures in large part because he doesn't like the idea of the franchise icons signing elsewhere if Philadelphia moves on before they are ready to retire.

"I know this, I don't think there's a scenario in any of our minds, starting with [owner Jeffrey Lurie], where Jason plays anywhere else," Roseman said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "He deserves the time to decide what he wants to do. Obviously we're gonna accommodate that because he doesn't need to be rushed on that."

Kelce hasn't officially retired, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported after Philadelphia's playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he told his teammates he was walking away from the game this offseason.

"The 36-year-old Kelce became visibly emotional at the end of the Eagles' 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers," Schefter wrote. "He has considered retiring after other recent seasons, but this time is said to be real and happening."

The future Hall of Famer has since pushed back at how definitive the report was and said he hasn't made a decision:

Whether he walks away or not, he will forever be a Philadelphia icon.

The 2011 sixth-round draft pick has played his entire career for the Eagles as a Super Bowl champion, seven-time Pro Bowler and six-time First-Team All-Pro selection. He is widely considered the gold standard of the center position in the league and would be quite the hole to fill if he does retire.

The same can be said of Cox, who has also played his entire career with the Eagles since they chose him in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.

Cox is a Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler who is fifth in franchise history with 70 sacks. He tallied five more sacks this past season while playing in 15 games.

He, too, has said he hasn't made a decision yet regarding potential retirement, but it sounds like the Eagles will gladly welcome either player back if they decide to play in 2024.