{"id":1254,"date":"2024-07-24T16:06:41","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T16:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=1254"},"modified":"2024-07-24T16:06:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T16:06:41","slug":"eagles-new-running-back-saquon-barkley-tried-convincing-jason-kelce-not-to-retire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=1254","title":{"rendered":"Eagles\u2019 New Running Back Saquon Barkley \u2018Tried\u2019 Convincing Jason Kelce Not to Retire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Saquon Barkley.\u00a0Cindy Ord\/Getty Images for SiriusXM<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"ql-align-center\"><\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<li class=\"ql-align-center\"><\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1255\" src=\"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/14-2-300x300.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/14-2-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/14-2-1024x1024.webp 1024w, https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/14-2-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/14-2-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/14-2.webp 1242w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Philadelphia Eagles\u2019 newest superstar did his best to keep the franchise\u2019s seven-time Pro Bowl center around for one more season \u2014 to no avail.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/pictures\/saquon-barkley-longtime-gf-anna-congdons-relationship-timeline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Saquon Barkley<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 who signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles on March 13 \u2014 attempted convincing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/jason-kelce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Kelce<\/a>\u00a0to change his mind about retirement, which the 13-year NFL veteran\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/jason-kelce-confirms-retirement-with-tearful-eagles-press-conference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announced March 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"qcmgidgb2\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI tried,\u201d Barkley, 27, told NFL insider\u00a0Diana Russini\u00a0on\u00a0<em>The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/podcast\/293-scoop-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cScoop City\u201d<\/a>\u00a0podcast Tuesday, July 23. \u201cI think that door is definitely closed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Barkley might not get the pleasure of having Kelce, 36, as his center, he spoke optimistically about Kelce\u2019s replacement on the Eagles\u2019 offensive line, 24-year-old\u00a0Cam Jurgens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s beauty in it,\u201d Barkley told Russini. \u201cI\u2019ll never be able to play with Jason Kelce, but Cam is a hell of a player. He\u2019s young, he\u2019s athletic, he\u2019s smart. It\u2019s his time. It\u2019s going to force other guys on the offensive line to step up, too. It\u2019s going to force all of us to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, Barkley acknowledged the team has a huge spot to fill in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/kylie-kelce-reflects-love-husband-190837247.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the absence of Kelce<\/a>, whose legend and lore even spread to the New York Giants\u2019 locker room, where Barkley spent the first six years of his career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re missing a lot with Jason,\u201d Barkley said. \u201cFrom all of the stories that I\u2019ve heard from the outside looking in \u2014 just toughness, leadership qualities. It\u2019s a challenge. It\u2019s a challenge for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barkley is never one to back down from a challenge. Combined with his high-profile signing, the hiring of new coordinators\u00a0Vic Fangio\u00a0and\u00a0Kellen Moore\u00a0and the additions of players like\u00a0C.J. Gardner-Johnson\u00a0and\u00a0Bryce Huff, Barkley and his new teammates know the pressure is on.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1256\" src=\"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/014-2-263x300.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"263\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/014-2-263x300.webp 263w, https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/014-2-899x1024.webp 899w, https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/014-2-768x874.webp 768w, https:\/\/usdailys.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/014-2.webp 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 263px) 100vw, 263px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Jason Kelce.\u00a0David Calvert\/Getty Images for American Century Investments<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Cam and all the guys on the offensive line are more than ready,\u201d Barkley boasted. \u201cAs a team, there\u2019s a lot of hype around us this year. I\u2019m really happy where we are and I\u2019m really excited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since 2010, Kelce will be watching the NFL action from the sidelines \u2014 but he won\u2019t be too far away.<\/p>\n<p>In April, Kelce\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/jason-kelce-lands-tv-hosting-145406377.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">signed a deal<\/a>\u00a0to join ESPN\u2019s\u00a0<em>Monday Night Countdown<\/em>\u00a0as an analyst for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is all new territory for me,&#8221; Kelce said at the time. &#8220;I have even more respect for it now. It&#8217;s very hard to do something live, reactive of stimulus that just happened and having something clever and meaningful to say.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The 2024-25 NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday, September 5 when the Kansas City Chiefs (where Jason&#8217;s brother\u00a0Travis\u00a0is a star tight end) host the Baltimore Ravens.\u00a0<em>Monday Night Countdown<\/em>\u00a0will make its season debut on Monday, September 9, before the\u00a0<em>Monday Night Football<\/em>\u00a0showdown between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saquon Barkley.\u00a0Cindy Ord\/Getty Images for SiriusXM The Philadelphia Eagles\u2019 newest superstar did his best to keep the franchise\u2019s seven-time Pro Bowl center around for one more season \u2014 to no &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-1254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-jason-kelce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1254"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1258,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254\/revisions\/1258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}