Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce joined some elite company in team history with his sixth All-Pro honor and became the first NFL center to do it, breaking out of a tie with two Hall of Fame snappers.
PHILADELPHIA – His Hall of Fame resume is complete.
If it wasn’t already, Jason Kelce added another pillar in his case to be enshrined in Canton when his playing days are over, whenever that may be.
The Philadelphia Eagles center was named a first-team All-Pro for the sixth time in his 13-year career by The Associated Press on Friday.
No other center has picked up that honor in the history of the league. Kelce had been tied with Hall of Famer centers Dermontti Dawson and Mike Webster for the most with five.
Even more impressive is that Kelce joins a select list of just two players to be All-Pro at least six times in their career in team history – Chuck Bednarik and Reggie White.
Jason Kelce talks about his future and being named All-Pro for a record-setting sixth time.
Ed Kracz/SI Eagles Today
“Obviously, it’s always nice to be honored and shown that type of respect, no matter how many times you got it before,” he said.
Only 54 players have been named All-Pro at least six times and all 54 are in the Hall of Fame. Three players still active have done it and are also ticketed for the Hall. They are the Rams’ Aaron Donald, the Cowboys’ Zack Martin, and the Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner.
At 36, Kelce is still playing his best football. Does All-Pro No. 6 change things, especially now that he is still getting the job done at a high enough level to be recognized?
“At the end of the day, I don’t think it has any effect on my future,” he said. “The reality is you just go about your work and anything that happens outside of that shouldn’t weigh in on anything you’re doing or anything that’s taking place.”
Kelce made it clear that he isn’t thinking about his future beyond Monday night’s Wild Card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
When asked if he’s allowed himself to think about it, Kelce said: “I think it’s been natural the last three seasons for that for me. Whenever you’re older in your career, you never know when that’s going to be. I try to remind guys and my dad’s told me this from the moment I started playing football – you step off the curb one day and that could be the end of your career.
“So, you try to approach every game with that mindset, but the closer and the older you get to that being a realization, it puts it out in front maybe a little bit more, but that’s not the main thing. The main thing is going out there and battling with each of the guys in this locker room.”
