Eagles center Kelce intends to retire after 13 NFL seasons
PHILADELPHIA — Jason Kelce stood on the sideline in tears as the final seconds ticked off in his likely final NFL game. Kelce embraced his long-time offensive line coach. He removed his helmet once the game ended — a Philadelphia Eagles loss that completed a harrowing season-ending collapse — and extended his hand to his wife and his father in the stands.
What Kelce knew then — what the gregarious center couldn’t bring himself to say when he declined to speak to the media in the aftermath of the defeat — was that his football career was over.
The 36-year-old Kelce has waivered on retirement over the last few seasons. Coach Nick Sirianni added to Kelce’s lore by shipping a keg of beer to the center’s home to entice him to return in 2022.
He has been the heart of the Eagles, a hero on the Philadelphia sports scene, a Super Bowl champion. But after 13 seasons, 156 straight starts and six All-pro Team selections, Kelce has told teammates he intends to retire, three people informed of the decision told The Associated Press.
They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday out of respect for Kelce’s decision, which he has not yet made public.
“The goat!!!. Appreciate ya big time,” Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. wrote on social media.
Kelce could explain his decision as early as Wednesday, when the next episode of the “New Heights” podcast he co-hosts with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift — was expected to drop. The brothers played each other last season in the Super Bowl that was won by the Chiefs.
“I love him. Yeah, obviously we’re not there at that position yet, ready to talk about that, but he’s special and I love him,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said after a 32-9 loss to Tampa Bay. “He’s one of the most special guys I’ve been around. He’s always got a place here and always want him to play.”
The New Orleans Saints have fired offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. along with senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell
and receivers coach Kodi Burns.
“These types of decisions are never easy to come to, but are necessary as we move forward,” Saints coach Dennis Allen, who oversees New Orleans' defense, said in an announcement made Tuesday.
The Saints ranked 14th overall in yards per game with 337.2, but the offense — led by 10-year NFL veteran quarterback Derek Carr — often stagnated in clutch situations during the first 12 games of the season. New Orleans (9-8) started 5-7 before winning four of its final five games, narrowly missing out on the postseason because of unfavorable tiebreakers with Tampa Bay and Green Bay.
New Orleans converted just 53.3% of red zone opportunities into touchdowns, which ranked 18th. For much of the season, however, the Saints were in the bottom third of the NFL in that category and lost seven games by fewer than 10 points.
Carmichael has been with the Saints since 2006, when he was hired by thenrookie coach Sean Payton as quarterbacks coach in what also was QB Drew Brees' first season in New Orleans.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' latest one-anddone playoff appearance is raising questions about Mike Tomlin's future.
The NFL'S longest tenured coach was in no mood to talk about it Monday night.
Tomlin walked off the podium at his postgame news conference following a 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills when a reporter began with, “Mike, you have a year left on your contract."
The abrupt exit only heightened speculation about what's next for Tomlin
and the Steelers. He's been in charge there for 17 seasons, making him the NFL'S longest tenured head coach after Bill Belichick parted with New England last week. He’s never had a losing season — an NFL record run — but this year was close.
The Steelers were unable to overcome early mistakes and the absence of star pass rusher T.J. Watt against Buffalo, and now the franchise has gone seven years since last winning a playoff game.
The franchise played in its Nfl-leading 63rd playoff game since 1970 and is accustomed to contending for Super Bowl championships. But the Steelers (10-8) finished one-and-done for a fourth consecutive postseason appearance.
Bill Belichick signaled he's ready to get back to coaching less than a week after parting with the New England Patriots, speaking with the Atlanta Falcons about their vacant position.
The Falcons announced Monday night they have interviewed the 71-year-old Belichick, who left the Patriots on Thursday after 24 seasons and a record six Super Bowl championships.
The fifth of those Super Bowls came nearly seven years ago against the Falcons in a game Atlanta led 28-3 in the third quarter before Tom Brady rallied the Patriots to a 34-28 overtime victory.
The Falcons are seeking a successor to Arthur Smith, who was fired shortly after the conclusion of his third straight 7-10 season. Atlanta released no details on the interview with Belichick, which was believed to have been conducted in person.
The Falcons had previously conducted virtual interviews with five candidates, only one of whom has head coaching experience. Including the playoffs, Belichick has 333 victories, second all-time to Hall of Famer Don Shula's 347. He led the Patriots to 17 division titles.
Belichick had control of player personnel decisions with New England. If he joins the Falcons, Belichick would either have to agree to coach without that control or the Falcons would have to change their management structure.
At the new conference on Jan. 8 to discuss the firing of Smith, Falcons owner Arthur Blank and CEO Rich Mckay represented the team. General manager Terry Fontenot was not present. Blank said he and Mckay would lead the search for a coach, with input from Fontenot, and Blank was clear that he expects the new coach and Fontenot to each report to Mckay, as was the case with Smith and Fontenot. Blank said Fontenot would continue to be in charge of personnel.
“If you look at a traditional table of organization, they both report to Rich Mckay, and we’ve been clear about that,” Blank said.
Belichick's difficulty replacing Brady at quarterback in New England was similar to Atlanta's struggles after Matt Ryan. The Falcons went back and forth between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke this season, while the Patriots had little success with either Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe.
The Patriots are 29-39 since Brady departed following the 2019 season, including 4-13 this season. The Falcons haven't had a winning season since 2017.
The candidates to interview virtually with the Falcons are Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Cincinnati offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, San Francisco defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.
Interviews with employees of other clubs must be conducted virtually before the end of the divisional playoff games on Sunday. There are no such limitations on teams conducting interviews with candidates like Belichick who are no longer employed by other teams.