PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia Eagles five-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce will wrap up his 12th NFL season with his second Super Bowl appearance when the Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
On Friday, Kelce was asked whether winning or losing Super Bowl LVII would have any effect on future plans, including a possible retirement.
"I don't think so,” said Kelce, 35. “When you know it's time to retire or not. you just know when you know, and it's going to be when you don't want to play football anymore. I don't think that winning this game is going to determine whether I want to continue to play football or not.”
When asked about when he might expect retirement to happen, Kelce said he’s unsure.
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"Obviously, I contemplate it every off season at this point, but I'm just gonna appreciate the next week-and-a-half now with the guys in this room and all the coaches, and hopefully put together another special game for the season."
The Super Bowl will be Kelce’s 187th game as an Eagle. He has never missed a start.
Fellow first-team All-Pro linemate Lane Johnson is continuing to battle and persevere through a torn adductor muscle that the right tackle suffered during the team’s Christmas Eve loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
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"I feel better now than I did initially, like the first game,” Johnson said Friday. After missing the Eagles’ final two regular season games, Johnson returned to action in the NFC Divisional Playoff against the New York Giants. He also played against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Title Game.
“The first game was my biggest challenge, and obviously last game was a challenge in itself. But I feel like the first game for me personally was harder to be ready for because I wasn't sure I could play through it. But after the initial contact at first, in the first game, I was good. I had better confidence from the second drive on."
The main challenge for veteran defensive tackle Fletcher Cox involves going up against former Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ two-time All-Pro quarterback.
“He's a good player. He's a great quarterback. I mean, their offense is really good,” said Cox.
“It's a big test for us. Probably going to be one of the better offenses we've seen all year.”
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Cox reflected on how Mahomes’ mobility cuts down on the amount of contact he takes, making him even more effective. The Chiefs suffered the third-fewest sacks in the NFL this season, with 26.
“He doesn't take a lot of hits, doesn't take a lot of sacks,” he said. “He gets the ball out and knows where its going, and it's going to be a challenge for us."
The Eagles leave for Arizona on Sunday.