Jason Kelce hasn’t been retired from football for very long, but the Philadelphia Eagles’ strong start to the offseason has the former Pro Bowler feeling really good about his former team’s chances next season — and maybe slightly sad that he won’t be a part of the action.

The Eagles have been active in free agency, and their biggest move thus far was signing star running back Saquon Barkley away from the New York Giants. Even though Kelce won’t be out there blocking for Barkley, he’s still a big fan of the move.

“Huge, huge signing for Philadelphia, and I’m happy for Saquon,” Kelce said during a recent episode of his New Heights podcast. “I’m not trying to talk trash … you’re coming to a team that has had a legitimate offensive line established for a very long time.”

Kelce was well-aware that retirement was going to be difficult, but watching the team bolster the offense by adding an elite back like Barkley has made it even tougher.

“I could not be more bullish,” Kelce said. “We talked about it last week: This is what I’m regretting. I knew when I retired that I was going to miss just an outstanding season for the Philadelphia Eagles. It sucks, it really does. I wanna be a part of this so bad. I wish I could.”

But, while Kelce is upset at the notion of not being out on the field with Barkley and company next season, he’s excited about the opportunity to cheer for the team from a fan’s perspective.

“But it doesn’t suck in the way that, hey, I’m a Philadelphian, I get to watch it and celebrate it just like everybody else,” Kelce said. “So I’m excited for that.”

It sounded like some of Kelce’s comments regarding retirement were made in jest, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some truth behind them, too. Walking away from the game was never going to be easy for Kelce, as he clearly has a deep-seated love of football.

However, the future Hall-of-Famer should find some solace in the fact that he gave the organization everything he had every time he stepped out on the field for 13 seasons. Now, it’s time for the rest of the players on the Eagles — both new and old — to give Kelce something to cheer about in his post-playing days.