Contract is at Center of Jason Kelce Retirement Rumor

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - A  rumor that Eagles star center Jason Kelce is "likely to retire" at the end of the Eagles playoff run is "inaccurate," an NFL source told 973espn.com,

Perhaps a better adjective to describe the report would be incomplete, however.

The All-Pro, who is among the best centers in football is entering a new phase of his life and decisions will be made in the offseason.

The big issue is money. Kelce, 31, is under contract through 2020 but the guaranteed money on his current deal signed in 2014 is now done with only salaries of $6.5 million in 2019 and $7 million in 2020 remaining.

More so, any NFL season is a grind and it's human nature for older players to contemplate whether they want to put in all the time and effort it takes to be an All-Pro level player at this time of the year. This season was particularly difficult on Kelce from a physical perspective due to the short turnaround after a Super Bowl LII championship and he has battled through knee and elbow issues.

Finally, Kelce was also married this past spring and now has different goals in life so if the Eagles show no interest in making him happy with a restructured deal, anything could happen.

That said, Philadelphia has tremendous respect for Kelce, who was named a first-team All-Pro for the second consecutive season earlier this month and was also graded as the best center in the NFL by ProFootballFocus.com.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen