It's hard to find someone more qualified to talk about center play than a six-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler at the NFL level.
That's the description that former Philadelphia Eagles center and national celebrity Jason Kelce fits. Following his retirement in 2024, Kelce is regarded by many as a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2029. And yet, following the passing of former Ohio State and New York Jets center Nick Mangold, Kelce called him "ten times the player than I ever was."
On his New Heights podcast with his even more famous brother, tight end Travis Kelce, Jason Kelce went so far as to say that he's one of the best offensive linemen ever to hit the football field.
"You want to talk about one of the stalwart, like, best offensive linemen to ever play the game," Jason said as Travis agreed with an "Oh yeah." "And I know I get credit a lot for being – a lot of people come up and tell me, 'You're the best center to ever play.' Like, I get that from other people. And it's hard to receive that because I know in my heart that Nick Mangold at his best was ten times the player than I ever was. Like, I could never be that dominant at the center position."
"Nick Mangold at his best was ten times the player than I ever was"
— New Heights (@newheightshow) October 29, 2025
Rest in peace to a legend of the game pic.twitter.com/j2NZE0y4fX
In the wake of Mangold's tragic death, it's time to start an overdue Hall of Fame campaign for the jolly giant. As downtrodden as the Jets have been in recent times, he was a cornerstone piece of one of the best eras of their franchise in the late aughts. New York made back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010 and Mangold was a first-team All-Pro both of those years.
He followed that with a second-team All-Pro nod in 2011, and made seven total Pro Bowls during his 11-year career from 2006 through 2016, when the bar for entry was higher than in the last handful of NFL seasons. Mangold was inducted into the Jets' Ring of Honor in 2022.
A center making the hall is far from unprecedented, though it is rare, with 10 inducted into Canton so far. Most recently, Kevin Mawae – the Jets center who immediately preceded Mangold – was enshrined in 2019 after a 16-year career with the Seahawks, Jets and Titans. Mawae's accolades are directly comparable to Mangold's; he made eight Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro three times.
It's a long road to get to the Hall for Mangold, regardless. Eligible since 2021, he hasn't been a semifinalist yet, though he was one of 52 players to advance in the next round of voting for the modern era last week. But if the center who many consider the best of the last two decades, a shoo-in for Canton, is saying it's actually Mangold who deserves that acclaim, voters should listen.
"Nick was phenomenal," Kelce said. "He was unbelievable in pass protection. He was an unbelievably smart leader and getting those guys on the same page. And he would murder people in the run game. He was unbelievable when he was in the NFL, he was unbelievable at Ohio State. He's just a stud in every fashion."
While raving about Mangold as a player, Kelce also made sure to relate to the heartache his family is experiencing. Mangold is survived by his wife and four children.
"It's just a travesty that this happened (to him) at such a young age," Kelce said. "He's got a whole (expletive) family. And when you think of offensive linemen over the past two decades, like the best of the best, you don't look any further than Nick Mangold."
Mangold's memory is one of community, family and leadership that goes well beyond the gridiron. But on the field, those who know the position better than anyone view him as one of the best offensive linemen of his generation.
