Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce quickly backtracked his comments bashing the Washington Commanders ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship game between the heated rivals.
Earlier on Thursday, Kelce clearly stated that his former team is better at every position. The startling claim comes three days before the teams face off with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, providing Washington with definite bulletin-board material.
After a harsh response to Kelce’s ᴀssertion, he tried to ease tensions on social media, with his words already doing the damage.
Kelce’s original comments were – ‘I’ll be very candid. I think the Eagles are better at every position,’ he said Thursday during a radio spot. ‘I don’t know that there is one position if you put the two rosters, the depth charts next to each other that I would take the Washington player over the Eagle player. And that is a very honest ᴀssessment.’
‘I think that the Eagles are loaded. And Washington to their credit, they play extremely well as a team. [Head coach] Dan Quinn is a fantastic coach, they scheme things well.’
Many NFL and Commanders fans took issue with the comments, directly looking at the comparisons between Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts, with many liking the rookie sensation more. About an hour after his on-air comments, Kelce posted the backtrack.
Eagles legend Jason Kelce quickly backtracked his comments bashing the Commanders
Earlier on Thursday, Kelce clearly stated that his former team is better at every position
Jason Kelce on Commanders vs Eagles in the NFC Championship:“I’ll be very candid. I think the Eagles are better at every position…That is a very honest ᴀssessment.” pic.twitter.com/6pHBJRw01C
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) January 23, 2025
‘Just to clarify, I wasn’t really talking about the QBs with this quote, I had already brought them up in the convo,’ Kelce said on X. ‘I was talking about all the other positions, I could have been clearer with that.’
‘I think both QBs are incredible, Jayden is having an insane rookie season. Washington is very good, obviously, their linebackers are fantastic, and the DTs [Jonathan] Allen and [Daron] Payne are very good. They are good across the board.’
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‘In the rest of the interview I go on to say Washington plays very well as a team, they’re very physical, well coached, and a resilient group. It’s going to be a dog fight. Wasn’t trying to say anything negative about them.’
Kelce’s bias comes into play, as he suited up for the Eagles for 13 seasons. His goal is to try and pump up the home crowd.
If someone where to ask a Commanders’ legend with radio access like Joe Theismann or LaVar Arrington, the answer might go completely in the opposite direction.
Yet, Kelce knows he’s under a microscope as an ESPN analyst alongside his brother, Travis Kelce, dating Taylor Swift.
Despite the backtrack, Kelce struck an irrevocable nerve with Washington’s fan base that did not need much to be provoked before the team’s first conference-championship game in 33 years.
