Jason Kelce Has High Praise For Baker Mayfield, Ryan Jensen

Eagles center Jason Kelce just wrapped up his 2023 season with his seventh career Pro Bowl selection. Kelce has been one of the best centers in the league since being drafted in 2011 by Philadelphia, and he looked as good as ever in his age-36 season.

Whether or not he hangs up the cleats is another question, but he already has the “New Heights” podcast with his brother Travis Kelce as one promising post-football venture.

Regardless, that did not stop Kelce from talking ball after the Pro Bowl Games. The NFC pulled off a 64-59 win over the AFC, thanks in part to Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, who won NFC offensive MVP. The longtime Eagles offensive lineman was more than happy to discuss Mayfield’s season, even if he was caught on the wrong end of it.

Jason Kelce: “Definitely Loved Watching Baker Play This Year”

Jason Kelce is one popular guy, but he stopped to take some time with the media after what could be his final time on the football field. A place that has also served as his sanctuary. When asked about Baker Mayfield, he was quick to share the respect he has for him as a fighter and a leader.

“Listen, I’ve always had tremendous respect for Baker,” Kelce said. “He’s a fighter, he’s a guy that wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s a guy that motivates people – you can tell that just by any team he’s been on. You can tell guys rally around him and enjoy playing with him. I think he’s a guy that, you know, we all have ups and downs in our career and are faced with adversity.

“It’s how you handle that and how you keep pushing forward. He’s clearly a fighter and he’s showing the world what he can do. I absolutely loved watching [him]. Unfortunately, we had to be on the tail end of it at the end of the year, but definitely loved watching Baker play this year.”

Kelce perfectly surmises how a lot of people felt watching Mayfield play this year. Many counted him out after going through a rough patch with the Panthers and Rams after getting traded from the Browns, but he pulled off a career 180 and is now looking for starting-quarterback money.

For what he did this season, Mayfield has gained a lot of respect around the league. Others, like ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, are thrilled about how he was able to pull it off.

But what Kelce said about him as a person better illustrates how Mayfield’s personality carries over to the football field. He is a scrappy guy who can motivate and lead the group around him. Despite being a quarterback, he has more of Kelce’s offensive lineman mentality in how he approaches the game. Kelce’s words are very telling about how Mayfield is perceived around the league and how his heart truly shows through his play.

Jason Kelce Says That Ryan Jensen “Set The Tone”

That was not the only Bucs-related topic Jason Kelce talked about.

Eagles C Jason Kelce at the Pro Bowl – Photo by: USA Today

With a knee injury cutting his career short, Bucs center Ryan Jensen recently announced his retirement from the NFL. Jensen only played four seasons in Tampa Bay, but he was an integral part of the team winning the Super Bowl in 2020 as an anchor up front and someone who was not afraid to get fiery and in his opponent’s face.

Kelce talked about Jensen’s time in the league and how he was one of his favorite players to watch.

“In his tenure in the NFL, he was one of the best centers in the league,” Kelce said. “Not only was he imposing physically, but he was an imposing personality. He was a very tough, physical guy. He was a guy that set the tone of whatever team it was – Baltimore or Tampa Bay. He had an incredible career.

“Unfortunately, he had some injuries. He was one of my favorite players to watch because he was going to bring it day in and day out. Every game, you loved watching Ryan Jensen play. He can look back on that with a lot of pride and I think speak for a lot of guys in the NFL when I say that Ryan played the game the way you would want a center or offensive lineman to play.”