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PHILADELPHIA — Jason Kelce has never hidden how much the decision to continue playing for the Eagles, to continue administering to himself the punishment of playing pro football, has weighed on him. The question has come up at the end of each of his last three seasons; Super Bowl LII, in February 2018, was the last time that Kelce didn't offer that he was contemplating retirement and that no one thought to ask him about it. He has spent 10 years in the NFL, has been a first-team All-Pro three times, has been selected to four Pro Bowls, is among the greatest of all Eagles, and might yet earn induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If he wanted to walk away, no one would begrudge him.
But this time, there was, or should have been, a little less suspense. Kelce and the Eagles announced Friday that the team had restructured his contract and that he would return for the 2021 season, and even though Kelce is 33 and the Eagles are rebuilding — in as much as any NFL team can or has to "rebuild" — any other outcome here would have been detrimental to the Eagles and surprising from Kelce.
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