Jason Kelce says 2017 Eagles would beat 2024 team, but does he even believe that?

Now that the Eagles have two Super Bowl-winning teams, we can play the fun game of deciding which team was better. It's a question that's come up throughout the offseason, especially when Eagles players from 2017 are being interviewed. 

The latest was Jason Kelce. He appeared on Reed Blankeship and Cooper DeJeans "Exciting Mics" podcast, where the duo asked Kelce who would win in a theoretical matchup between the Eagles' two championship winning teams.

"Watching how you guys ended the season, I don't know how you could realistically think that we would beat you guys," Kelce said. "But I'll tell you this, just being a competitor, we'd beat the fuck outta you guys."

Kelce contradicts himself within the quote, but he said the quiet part out loud with the first part of his answer. He was never going to belittle the 2017 team, because they're enshrined in Philly sports history as the first-ever Eagles team to be Super Bowl champions. But looking at both rosters, it's clear the 2024 roster is significantly better. 

Call it recency bias, but across the board, there's more talent everywhere. It starts with the skill positions. 

The Eagles used a running back by committee in 2017, with Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement. Whoever had the hot hand typically got the ball back then. None of them were Saquon Barkley, though. 

Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor were good stories after proving some doubters wrong. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are so good, you never had to doubt their ability. 

Nick Foles may have had the historical performance in the Super Bowl, but overall Jalen Hurts brings more to the table, especially with his mobility. 

Going through each position group, it's hard to find anywhere the Super Bowl LII winning team has an advantage. Maybe at safety, with Malcolm Jenkins, but C.J. Gardner-Johnson is no slouch. Quinyon Mitchell, Darius Slay and DeJean also outmatch 2017's secondary.

The Eagles' offensive line in 2017 was pretty stacked. It's probably the only part of the roster that's better than 2024. When healthy, there were three, maybe four, Hall of Fame-caliber players with Kelce, Lane Johnson, Jason Peters and Brandon Brooks. Peters didn't play in the Super Bowl, but the other three were still elite. 

The problem with the Eagles' first Super Bowl winning team were some of the injuries, as Kelce pointed out.

"Especially by the time we had been to the Super Bowl, we had already lost our starting quarterback (Carson Wentz), Jason Peters was out. Darren Sproles was out," Kelce said. "And listen, we won, but it took everything we had to beat the Patriots.

"You guys beat the team that's been the best team in the NFL for pretty much ... I mean, Patrick Mahomes has been in the conference championship every year of his career, seventh season and you guys ... like it wasn't even close."

2017 is remembered because of the shock and relief everyone felt following the Super Bowl. The team embraced the role of the underdog and got the whole city to rally around the cause. It was the perfect storm for the Eagles to win their first championship. The actual game was as memorable as can be, with Foles outdueling Tom Brady in a crazy back-and-forth battle that went until the last play.

"The movies, the people that write that stuff they do a great job, that sort of felt like I was watching the end of a movie," Kelce said. "Like the ball's just like hanging up there, even when it hits the ground, you're so in the moment that you don't even know if it's real."

Last season's team is remembered for how dominant they were. It wasn't a dream to win the Super Bowl. It was an expectation. 

2017 will be remembered for its nostalgia. 2024 will be looked at as the greatest Eagles team of all time.