When Jason Kelce announced his retirement last March in a tearful press conference, his emotions were felt too by Eagles fans everywhere.

This was an Eagles icon calling it quits, and not to mention, leaving a gaping hole on the offensive line.

Less than a year later – with the Eagles back in the Super Bowl and Cam Jurgens thriving as Kelce’s replacement at center – the tears have surely dried up.

‘Cam’s done a great job just compartmentalizing everything, that he doesn’t have to fill the shoes of Jason Kelce,’ teammate and fellow offensive lineman Jordan Mailata said this week. ‘He has to create his own.’

Despite being given the hugely unenviable task of succeeding a future Hall of Famer, Jurgens has rose to the challenge.

He earned his first Pro Bowl selection this season after shifting over from guard, while the Eagles rushing attack has entered another stratosphere with Saquon Barkley.

Jason Kelce announced his retirement at a tearful press conference back in March

But Cam Jurgens has impressively succeeded Kelce at center to keep the Eagles chugging

Kelce may no longer be playing, but his presence still lingers around the organization.

He, his wife, Kylie and their three daughters have remained in Philadelphia. He still spends time at the Eagles facility, while his ESPN duties have seen him tailgate with Philly fans on several occasions too.

The lessons that Jurgens got from Kelce, of course, have also made their mark. 

‘He played tackle next to Jason Kelce. Do you know how valuable that is?’ offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said this week.

‘Kelce right there next to you, calling out these calls, at the last second changing it. All those things that he experienced as a guard, to see that up close, live in person, it’s so valuable for his progress as a center.’

The legacy left by Kelce, though, has been something of a double-edged sword for Jurgens. 

‘It’s always tough to step into somebody’s spot, especially when he’s Hall of Famer, and I feel like anytime you think about replacing somebody and trying to fill a void you’re just gonna fail,’ Jurgens said.

‘I’m just trying to be the best player I can be and worry about filling my own shoes and doing my own thing, and that’s it,’ he continued. ‘I take all the stuff I could learn from him and Coach Stout and all the O-linemen around me, and just play my hardest.’

Jason Kelce has since taken a job with ESPN but remains around the Eagles facility

Jurgens produced a Pro Bowl season in 2024 after shifting over from guard to center

As Kelce has since discussed, he actually helped the Eagles decide on Jurgens – a 2022 second-round pick out of Nebraska – as his eventual successor.

The pair were teammates for two seasons (though Jurgens hardly played as a rookie). And while both Mailata and Jurgens both discussed the need for the young center to blaze his own trail, it certainly doesn’t hurt having Kelce around still.   

‘I feel like it’s more just learning how he handles himself and how he was on the field and off the field,’ Jurgens said. ‘And, you know, just watching him from afar and playing next to him, or being his backup. He played this game 100 miles an hour, as hard as he can. So that’s the most important thing you got to take away when you play this game.’

That sort of commitment was on display in the NFC Championship Game against Washington when Jurgens – who had started the game on the bench with a back injury – battled through the second half after his replacement at center, Landon Dickerson, suffered a knee injury of his own (both are good to go for this weekend).

The ultra-durable Kelce, who didn’t miss a game over his last nine seasons, certainly helped set that standard of toughness. Jurgens, Mailata, Johnson and Co. are now carrying it on.

‘I feel like we’ve been through so much, and it’s just it’s easy to play for somebody when you love another,’ Jurgens said. ‘I mean, I got a lot of brothers in that room, and it’s just easy to play next to somebody when we care for each other. We work so hard together. You know, you don’t want to let that guy down.’

Kelce was incredibly durable during his career, playing every game over his last nine seasons

His brother Travis was also brought to tears during his retirement press conference last year

The brothers faced off two years ago in Super Bowl LVII, with the Chiefs narrowly winning

Read More How the Eagles plan to stop ‘freaks’ Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes from winning the Super Bowl

‘I feel you get a lot of guys that come into the O-line [room] and they’re like, it’s different here,’ he continued. ‘And I feel like that’s very true. People come in here and you got to kind of rise to the standard, or you get chewed up and spit out. And I feel like so many guys rise to the leveland it’s just so fun to be a part of that when the standards so high, and everybody’s pushing each other, and everybody’s so selfless in our room.’

Perhaps Kelce – who, remember, is less than a year out from retirement – will drift a bit from the Eagles organization in the years to come.

Maybe Hollywood will beckon for him like it has for his brotherTravis, or maybe he’ll relocate for a coaching job. Johnson called his ex-teammate a ‘brilliant football mind,’ with the potential to be a ‘truly great coach.’

Regardless, the 25-year-old has taken the requisite wisdom from his predecessor and thrived as his replacement.

In a week where Jurgens been the recipient of effusive praise, perhaps his greatest compliment was a matter-of-fact remark from Travis, indicating that little had changed for the Eagles’ front.

‘That offensive line, that’s the motor over there in Philly,’ he said. ‘And it’s gonna be a tough job stopping them on Sunday.’ 

Seconds earlier, Travis had been a bit more pointed, calling Jurgens ‘unbelievable.’ That тιтle, ultimately, is especially impressive in the shadow of Jason’s legacy.

‘I’m used to watching the center in Philly,’ Travis said. ‘And he’s stepped right in as one of my favorite guys to watch.’