The Philadelphia Eagles are once again spiraling into offensive stagnation. And this time, the calls for an unlikely savior are coming from the broadcast booth. The Eagles look lost, and Jason Kelce, who retired after the 2023 season, is still looked upon as hope. At least by Troy Aikman.
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The Eagles’ season-total –5.22 EPA ranks 16th in the NFL. And for the first time in the Sirianni era, the team owns a negative total offensive EPA beyond Week 11. It is all the more alarming because the performance slump is despite playing nearly their entire Super Bowl LIX roster: Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and at least four of their usual starting five offensive linemen almost every week.
Sirianni and Brian Patullo’s operation is on pace to become the least efficient Eagles offense since the head coach was was hired in 2021. And when Landon Dickerson went down in the second quarter on Monday night, worsening an already banged-up offensive line, Joe Buck posed a pertinent point.
“Maybe the Eagles with these banged-up interior offensive linemen could call on our friend, 38-year-old Jason Kelce,” said Buck.
Aikman didn’t flinch in response: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t already at some point this year, even last year,” he said. “I think I’d be knocking on his door every week to try to get him to come back. He can still do it.”
Troy Aikman on the idea of the Eagles calling Jason Kelce to come out of retirement: "I would be surprised if they haven't already… I think I'd be knocking on his door every week to try to get him to come back. He can still do it." #NFL #MNF pic.twitter.com/7d7fc27Ws1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 9, 2025
Drafted 191st overall in 2011, Kelce became the heartbeat of the franchise. In 193 games, he had 12,002 offensive snaps, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl title (Super Bowl LII). Kelce was not only an outstanding center but also the glue holding the Eagles’ offense together.
Kelce called it a day in March 2024 following Philadelphia’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. The team’s recent collapse has only fueled the speculation about Jason’s return.
Their 22-19 overtime loss to the Chargers on Monday extended a three-game skid and dropped them to 8-5. Their once-dominant rushing attack has been dulled, Saquon Barkley has struggled to find space, and the interior offensive line has been battered.
Kelce, meanwhile, has been busy since retirning, becoming a fixture on ESPN and helping turn the New Heights podcast, co-hosted with brother Travis, into a cultural phenomenon. So his return looks like something the Eagles can only dream of.
