Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce doesn’t hold back when it comes to defending his former offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland.
After spending so many years playing for Stoutland, Kelce is one of many former and current Eagles players to benefit from learning from one of the best coaches at the position.
So, when Kelce heard a rumor that some Eagles players contributed to the decision the Eagles made to mutually part ways with Stoutland before the 2026 NFL season, he called it “crap.”
The Jeff Stoutland Rumor
As the Eagles’ offense struggled throughout the 2026 NFL season, Stoutland ended up seeing his role change.
Philadelphia’s head coach Nick Sirianni took away Stoutland’s run-game coordinator title, as the former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo struggled with his system.
Reports suggested that there was a lot of internal friction building between Stoutland and the coaching staff. The Eagles ultimately decided to part ways with Patullo, but Stoutland walked out the door as well.
Earlier this week, 97.5 The Fanatic’s Bill Colarulo went viral within the Eagles world for reporting that it “wasn’t only Nick Sirianni who wanted a change in the run game,” he said. “It was also the players.”
That’s where Kelce draws the line.
Jason Kelce Sounds Off
During his weekly appearance on 94WIP, Kelce calls out unnamed sources in defense of Stoutland after the report.
“I would take anything you hear from an unnamed source with a giant grain of salt, because ultimately that person isn’t willing to stand behind it in front of a camera, and usually that unnamed source has some type of incentive or reason that they’re putting this out to a media member, and it’s usually to cover their own behind,” Kelce said.
“When Jeff Stoutland left, or when Jeff Stoutland was announced he wasn’t coming back, Jordan Mailata and his wife went to have dinner at his home and honor that man. When Lane Johnson retired, he only met with one coach. Met with Jeff Stoutland. I take great offense to somebody alluding to players not fighting really hard for Jeff, and I don’t know the way the last season went because I wasn’t there. I know it wasn’t great, but that one very much upset me because the reason to move on from Jeff Stoutland had nothing to do with the players. Had to do with the building wanting to go in a different direction. That’s fine, but don’t give me this crap like trying to defer direction on the decisions you guys wanted to make. That’s all I’ll say.”
The Eagles have attempted to turn the page on the Stoutland era, but the controversial decision to let him walk is not going away. Clearly, former players feel a type of way about it. Fans have been pretty vocal in voicing their support for Stoutland as well.
