Jason Kelce had a little fun with an unusual special teams twist in London, but he also made room for a much more serious tribute to one of his former Eagles teammates.
During Sunday’s broadcast of Philadelphia’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the former Eagles center noted that he used to serve as a long snapper in high school. That memory came back to him after Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik went out with a shoulder injury and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton was forced into emergency duty at the position.
Kelce didn’t just praise Hamilton for stepping in. He also connected the moment to his own past, explaining why he eventually had to give up long snapping once his size got out of hand.
"When I got fat, when I put on weight, I used to long-snap in high school. When I got to over 300 pounds-ish, it became really hard to look in between your legs, way to go, DaVon Hamilton. I love it," Kelce said during the broadcast.
Hamilton, like Kelce, also snapped in high school and has served as Jacksonville’s backup option in case of an emergency.
Later in the day, Kelce shifted from lighthearted broadcast banter to a more emotional topic: Lane Johnson’s retirement. Johnson stunned NFL fans last week when he announced he was done playing, following a Week 4 absence and citing family issues and mental health.
On Sunday’s Eagles broadcast, Kelce spoke warmly about his former teammate and the bond they built over years together on Philadelphia’s offensive line.
"He became someone I trusted because he was there when others weren't," Kelce said about Johnson.
Kelce and Johnson played together on the Eagles offensive line from 2013 through the 2023 NFL season.
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