NFL Legend Jason Kelce Talks Eagles, Saquon, MNF, Chiefs and More in B/R Interview

The start of the 2024 season was always going to be a challenge for the Philadelphia Eagles as they adjust to life without retired center Jason Kelce, who was the heart and soul of the team during a 13-year career.

But they passed the first test.

Philadelphia defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-29 in Brazil thanks in large part to their headline offseason acquisition in running back Saquon Barkley. All he did was earn NFC Player of the Week honors with 109 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards and three touchdowns while running behind an offensive line that looks like it can survive the loss of Kelce.

Just ask the man himself.

"Saquon looked fantastic," Kelce told Bleacher Report. "The Eagles offensive line is looking really good as well. I think with the more reps they get together, they're only going to improve. There were a lot of promising things. I think the running game, even when it wasn't working, it wasn't for a lack of ability. It was more a lack of not being on the same page, which are correctable things. Knowing [offensive line coach] Jeff Stoutland, they're going to get a lot of that stuff fixed."

There are, of course, going to be some growing pains. How could there not be with a six-time First-Team All-Pro selection and seven-time Pro Bowler who is one of the best centers in NFL history no longer captaining the ship?

But the Eagles wasted no time bouncing back from their 1-5 finish and playoff loss last season with an impressive win over a potential fellow NFC contender. And they also overcame some adversity with the field conditions, early defensive struggles and even a botched tush push near the goal line, which was always so effective with Kelce leading the way in the middle.

"Mekhi Becton in his first opportunity to play guard in this league looked really good at times," Kelce said. "Guy replacing me, Cam Jurgens, had a fantastic game. Some of the communication issues aren't even on him, it's more of a systematic thing to iron out. I thought it was an impressive performance from those guys in Game 1."

The future Hall of Famer will get an opportunity to see his former team up close in Week 2 as part of his new job.

ESPN hired him to join the network's Monday Night Football coverage as an analyst, and the broadcast team will be at Lincoln Financial Field for the Week 2 game between the Atlanta Falcons and Eagles.

"It's going to feel weird," Kelce said. "Last week was weird just watching the Eagles play on TV. This week is going to be really weird going to the Linc on Monday night with fans in the parking lot and going to the stadium and not playing in the game."

It will be Kelce's second regular-season game as part of the Monday Night Football coverage after he made his debut on site at Levi's Stadium with Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears for the Week 1 game between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.

While Kelce is no stranger to media given his New Heights podcast with his brother Travis, it was still a new step in his career.

"I was nervous going into it," he said. "I think it's natural to be nervous for something you've never done before. I didn't know what to expect, and now having done it, I really had fun. A lot of that is a credit to the guys I'm around in Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears. They're all veteran guys in that space who know what they're doing. They made it easier on me and they saved me multiple times. They teed me up. Being with a great crew is really important. It was a lot of fun to be out there with those guys."

Part of that fun involved finding an emergency shirt at the mall after forgetting the one he planned on wearing, which drew quite the response from his brother:

Kelce found the entire situation amusing as well, but it didn't stop him from breaking down all the Week 1 action from a different vantage point as a member of the media.

And one thing that stood out to him while watching those games was the performance of Baker Mayfield, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 37-20 victory over the Washington Commanders by throwing for 289 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

It was something of a culmination of Mayfield's entire NFL journey, which began as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft with the Cleveland Browns and included stops on the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.

While he didn't exactly live up to expectations in the early portion of his career even while making his Rams debut shortly after joining the team, he led the Buccaneers to the playoffs in 2023 on a one-year deal and then signed a three-year, $100 million contract with the team this offseason.

"I always like when guys have been through the ringer of the NFL and they have the courage to keep fighting and not make excuses and find a way to resurge in other places," Kelce said. "I know just how hard that is to do. You don't get that many opportunities in this league, and if you miss some that door sometimes doesn't open again. For Baker to go from being a high draft pick in Cleveland to being with the Panthers and it not working out at all to all of a sudden being with the Rams and playing a game 48 hours later and then going to Tampa Bay and not even being the starter before he got there.

"To have the year he had last year and be given a contract and then go out there and have the Week 1 performance he did was really impressive. Really just happy for Baker to go out there and play well."

Not only does Kelce now have more time to watch Mayfield and other players around the league, he also has more time to tailgate ahead of the games.

It comes as no surprise, then, that he is continuing his partnership with Kingsford this season after previously filming "King of the Grill" content with former New England Patriots star Vince Wilfork.

"This partnership has been great," Kelce said. "The Kingsford brand marries up really well with football, marries up really well with family and friends and having a good time. For me, I can remember growing up with my dad and going to sporting events and family affairs, and it feels like this brand was always a part of it. I think a lot of Americans probably feel that way.

"To be able to partner with them and partner with guys like Vince Wilfork is pretty darn cool. That's a guy I looked up to in the league for a very long time."

Kelce doesn't have much tailgating experience since he was always playing in the games, but fans surely remember when he showed up to support his brother Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs during a playoff game against the Buffalo Bills last season and ended up jumping out the window of a suite and celebrating with the fans.

"I'm still learning the tailgate scene," he said. "I've been preoccupied my whole career. But that's something I really look forward to this year. Obviously everybody got to see firsthand the Buffalo tailgate and what led to it last year during the playoffs. Buffalo, that was a fantastic tailgate to be a part of.

"This year I'm going to make sure during specific games and weeks that I get out there and be a part of the tailgates. That's one of the benefits of working Mondays, I can actually participate in some of this stuff on Sundays and enjoy the food, people and all the shenanigans."

He will likely have more chances to support his brother and the Chiefs in the playoffs this season, as they are attempting to become the first team in history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

They might have even improved after adding first-round draft pick Xavier Worthy to an offense that already included Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and others. All Worthy did was score two touchdowns in the season-opening win over the Baltimore Ravens, which was a rematch of the AFC Championship Game.

"The Chiefs with Xavier Worthy was exciting to watch," Kelce said. "Offensively, they're probably even better than they were last year. They were a really good team, but their defense really carried them for a large portion of last year. And now with some of these new guys and Rashee Rice being a year older, it just feels like they're even more dangerous this year. Which is kind of scary."

Kelce was a Super Bowl champion in his career and understands what it takes to reach the sport's mountaintop and the risk of complacency and human nature creeping in when trying to defend that title.

But he doesn't think that's what this year's version of the Chiefs have to concern themselves with as they chase another Lombardi Trophy.

"I don't think it's complacency they have to worry about," he said. "They have a lot of very good leaders. It starts at the top with Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator. And Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, they have the leadership to not be complacent. I think what's really hard about repeating and doing it three times especially—which is why it's never happened—is every year when you win the Super Bowl every team is watching your tape and trying to steal what you're doing and incorporating it into their own offense. When that much attention is applied, it's really hard to come back and do it again.

"And now they've had that happen for two consecutive years. They do have the benefit that Andy Reid has somehow hacked the system. What ended up being Andy Reid's downfall in Philly was that his coordinators kept getting promoted to head coaching jobs in other places. Right now, he's somehow kept Steve Spagnuolo on the defensive side of the ball, who is a phenomenal coach. And they get [offensive coordinator] Matt Nagy back for another year.

"So there's just a lot of continuity that's rare from winning Super Bowls that is working in their favor. But still, every team in the league is working very hard to try to figure them out. It's going to be hard, but if any team can do it, the Chiefs are geared up to."

That might not be what the rest of the AFC wants to hear, but there may be another Lombardi Trophy in the Kelce family trophy case after the season.