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May 16 (UPI) -- Jason Kelce remains the top center in the NFL, but the Philadelphia Eagles star's body is increasingly hurting. The eight-year veteran says he has "at least" one more season left in his career. Kelce, 31, spoke about his career during an appearance Thursday on the RapSheet and Friends podcast. He said he weighs the decision on coming back during the off-season. Kelce said the desire to compete hasn't gone away.
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"It's starting to hurt more and more," Kelce said. "That's pretty evident. But I'm fired up to do at least one more."
He said he is taking it one year at a time and has "no number on it," in regards to a timeline for retirement. Kelce was once again the No. 1 center in the NFL in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus. He was an All-Pro for the third consecutive season in 2018.
Kelce has started all 16 games in each of the last four seasons. He has started 110 games for the Eagles during his NFL tenure. Kelce joined the Eagles as a sixth round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
"I think that at the end of every season, you just weigh that," Kelce said. "You kinda recover. You get to a good place in your head. You get to a good place physically and you look back on the season. You try and take as realistic look at it as possible and decide, moving forward, if you can do that again."
Kelce said it's unrealistic to compare himself to other offensive lineman who play into their mid to late 30s, due to his size. He called teammate Jason Peters, 37, a "genetic freak."
The Eagles selected Washington St. offensive tackle Andre Dillard with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Kelce said he could see Peters mentoring Dillard.
"He's going to get to learn from one of the best left tackles (Peters) in the game and one of the best right tackles (Lane Johnson) in the game and an incredible offensive line coach in Jeff Stoutland," Kelce said.
Peters signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in March. The 6-foot-4, 328-pound left tackle is entering his 16th season. Peters is a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time All-Pro. The future Hall of Famer rated as the No. 38 tackle in the NFL last season. Peters started 16 games in 2018, despite playing with a torn biceps and through a quad injury. He also had a concussion in 2018.
Kelce signed a three-year, $24.5 million contract extension with the Eagles in March.
"I want to do this for the rest of my life, but that's probably not going to happen," Kelce said. "As you get older and as your body continues to take its dings and bruises and wear out physically, the desire to continue to play and go out and compete, that never stops. But just like any decision you make in life, there are always positives and negatives."
"At this point in my career it's harder and harder to play the game. I know that it's only going to continue to get harder and harder to play the game, physically."
