Jason Kelce Is Not Happy He Won’t Get to Block for Saquon Barkley

Retired Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman and new ESPN NFL analyst Jason Kelce spoke with Sports Illustrated this week on behalf of his partnership with Kingsford Charcoal.

Kelce is continuing his partnership with Kingsford to make sure fans are ready all grilling season—whether tailgating at the big game or in the backyard with family and friends—with the experience only charcoal can provide. Him and Vince Wilfork mastered the art of slow-cooked meats and earned the title “King of the Grill.”

For Kelce, the decision to partner with Kingsford was an easy one.

“It’s a brand I’ve associated with my whole life and something that really makes me think of football,” he said.

As for the action on the field, Kelce is settling in to his new role at ESPN as he covers the entire league as an analyst on Monday Night Football. While his duties in his new job will span across the NFL, Kelce has kept a keen eye on the Eagles early in the new season and believes that new running back Saquon Barkley will make a world of difference for the offense.

“There are a lot of runs that traditionally you would see and there would be not much there, maybe it’s a no gain, maybe it’s a tackle for loss or all of a sudden one of them [in Week 1] it looked like he was close to getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage and he breaks it for a touchdown,” he told Sports Illustrated. “Another one, the run got thinned out and he just kinda found his way through and took it for maybe over 15? He’s just a very good player.”

Kelce said that while he’s enjoying retirement, he is disappointed that he won’t be able to block for Barkley on the Eagles.

“I tell Howie [Roseman] all the time, ‘Why did you wait until I’m retired to add a piece like this?’ The last time I played with a running back probably this talented was LeSean McCoy, I’d say. Darren Sproles I got at the tail end of his career and he was really good, too. I’ve played with some good backs. I’m very thankful for the teammates I’ve had but having a guy like Saquon would have been really nice.”

The Eagles are 1–0 after a tight win in their opening game against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil. Philadelphia returns home to host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football in Week 2, where Kelce will have the opportunity to take a look at the Eagles in person.