Eagles’ Jason Peters looks to quiet critics again at age 37

We keep writing Jason Peters’ career obituary and he stubbornly keeps refusing to die.

We wrote it in 2012 when the then 30-year-old Eagles left tackle ruptured his Achilles tendon, only to see him come back with a vengeance the next year, give up just four sacks and make first-team All-Pro.

We wrote it in 2015 when he battled injuries most of the year and took himself out of the Eagles’ next to last game of the season against Washington after giving up two sacks to rookie linebacker Preston Smith. The next season, at age 34, he gave up just four sacks and 25 total pressures and earned his ninth Pro Bowl invitation.

We wrote it in 2017 after he tore his ACL in the seventh game of the season and was a spectator for the Eagles’ Super Bowl run.

And we wrote it again in January after he struggled through another injury-marred campaign in which he missed more than 20 percent of the Eagles’ snaps and sat out the crucial fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 20-14 playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints with a back injury.

Yet, there he was at the NovaCare Complex Friday, six months into his 37th year, very much alive and well and preparing for his 16th NFL season.

“People always write him off,’’ Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said. “And he just keeps coming back, stronger and better than ever.’’

Peters never considered retiring after last season. In fact, he had made up his mind to come back before he got to the visitor’s locker room at the Superdome after the loss to the Saints.

“I knew I was coming back,’’ he told reporters in a 10-minute interview after Friday’s training camp practice. “No doubt. I was looking forward to this year pretty much like a bounce-back year for me coming off that knee (injury). I had a down year last year.’’

Peters said he came back from the ACL injury too soon last year. It bothered him much of the season, and he thinks it also led to his other injuries to his back, quad and bicep.

“I came back (too) early,’’ he said. “(But) we were trying to get to another (Super) Bowl. I was compensating for the knee and it led to other injuries. But I’m back now and I’m ready to go.’’

Peters, who turned 37 in January, believes he’s still one of the league’s top offensive tackles. “I’m still top 5 easy,’’ he said. “I’m going to keep rolling year after year after year until I feel like I can’t do it no more.’’

He’s not alone in that belief.

“I feel he’s going to be a better, more productive player this year than last year,’’ Stoutland said. “I really do believe that. He had a torn ACL. It takes a while to come back from that. Not just physically, but mentally.’’

Peters agreed to redo the final year of his contract in March, reducing his 2019 salary cap number from $13 million to $8.66 million.

The nine-time Pro Bowler, who figures to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer five years after he retires, wasn’t ready to say this will be his last season. In fact, he seemed to indicate that it likely won’t be if he stays healthy.

He even indicated that he might be willing to move inside to guard at some point in the future to make room for 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard.

“I’m just taking it one year at a time,’’ he said. “I never thought I’d play this long, so I just take them a year at a time and stack them up.

“As long as they (want to) keep me here, and as long as I’m healthy and playing well, I’m gonna roll. A year at a time and then make the decision at the end of the year.’’

The Eagles’ approach with Peters is all about getting him to Sunday. They limit his practice reps. Stoutland doesn’t make him participate in a lot of the team’s offensive line drills.

“Stout takes care of me, Doug (Pederson) takes care of me,’’ Peters said. “They’ll help me get to Sunday.

“If we’re doing 10 (practice) reps, I’ll do about six. As long as I go as hard as I can, I’m keeping my body in shape. If you do six hard and four lollygagging, it’s not doing no good. I take my six, go full tilt, then go to the sideline.’’

Peters has become a mentor to many of the team’s young offensive linemen. After he tore his ACL two years ago, he worked a lot with his left tackle replacement that year, Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

Last year, he often worked with Jordan Mailata after practice. Now, he’s doing the same with Dillard.

“Sometimes, I like to let my work speak for itself,’’ he said. “But the last couple of years, I pull (the young players) to the side and help them and give knowledge to them.

“It feels good to help out the young guys. Especially when they go out and take the stuff I’m telling them into the game.’’

Peters knows the Eagles drafted Dillard to replace him. Hell, they drafted Lane Johnson six years ago to replace Peters. Johnson ended up becoming an All-Pro at right tackle.

“I like him,’’ Peters said of Dillard. “He’s a good athlete. Good movement. He’s going to be OK.’’

Peters is more than willing to help the rookie with his development.

“I’ve told him that if he has any questions just ask,’’ he said. “And if I see him out on the field doing something wrong, I’ll tell him and help him.’’

“We’re just renting a spot. When they’re getting ready to get you out of there, they draft somebody (else) high. Whether it’s two years out or one year out, they’re going to put him in there at some point. I might as well help the guy.’’

Peters no longer is the freakishly athletic left tackle that he was in his prime. But he still is very good when he’s healthy. The question will be whether he can stay healthy.

“In this game, you don’t know for sure what’s going to happen,’’ he acknowledged. “You don’t have control over things. A guy can roll up on your leg. Like when I blew out my knee (in 2017). I was blocking my guy and somebody else just fell on me.

“I don’t ever think about getting hurt. If it happens, there’s nothing I can do about it. Until then, I’m rolling.’’