Ex-Eagles LS Dorenbos will receive Super Bowl ring

Former Philadelphia Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos will be honored with a Super Bowl ring after he had to cut his NFL career short and undergo open-heart surgery last year.

Dorenbos, who played for the Eagles for 11 seasons, said owner Jeffrey Lurie made him part of the celebration after the Eagles' 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Sunday night.

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Dorenbos, 37, was traded to the New Orleans Saints in August, but the subsequent physical revealed an aortic aneurysm that required immediate surgery and ended his career.

Lurie invited Dorenbos to come to Minneapolis as an honorary part of the team.

Dorenbos thanked the owner on Instagram after Sunday night's game.

"If I wasn't able to play in it... this is the next best thing. Thank you @philadelphiaeagles and Jeff Lurie for making this happen."

Dorenbos said he looks at the trade as divine intervention.

"Had I played, I'd die. If you can't play in it, this is the next best way to enjoy it," Dorenbos told The New Orleans Advocate. "Mr. Lurie called me and said he wants me to be a part of it, said I was here a long time and he said, 'We're going to win this, and you're going to get a ring.'"

Dorenbos wasn't in the locker room Sunday, but appreciated feeling the experience and the excitement in the stadium.

"I got to experience it from a fan perspective," Dorenbos said. "Jeff's like, hey, we've got this event, it's like 100, 150 people, just trust me, come, so we went. Next thing I know, there's Sheryl Crow.

"My fate was what it was. I'm just happy to be around guys I played with for so long."

--Field Level Media