Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce insisted during Super Bowl week he had “a full heart of football left in me” and could potentially continue playing for another few seasons.
It seems Kelce is having second thoughts following Kansas City’s 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX this past Sunday night.
“I know everybody wants to know whether I am playing next year, and right now I am just kicking everything down the road. I am kicking every can I can down the road,” Kelce said during the latest edition of his “New Heights” podcast, as shared by Nika Shakhnazarova of the New York Post. “I am not making any crazy decisions, but right now the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding there’s a lot that goes into this thing.”
Kelce acknowledged in the fall of 2023 that he had thought about retirement “more than anyone could ever imagine,” in part because he had undergone 10 surgeries at that point of his Hall of Fame career. While Kelce later suggested he wanted to earn as many championship rings as possible before he retired, the 35-year-old also made it known he wants to go out on his own terms before his body forces him away from the game.
“The fact that we keep going to these AFC Championships and Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league. That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body,” Kelce continued. “It’s a lot of time in the building. …That process can be grueling. It can weigh on you. It can make you better and it can drive you crazy. Right now, it was one of those things where it was driving me crazy this year. It happens as you tail off towards the back nine of your career.”
Kelce recorded just three touchdown catches during the 2024 regular season, but he also led the Chiefs with 97 receptions and 823 receiving yards. With that said, some may feel the fact he tallied just four catches for 39 yards against the Eagles shows he’s no longer the dominant force he was even a year ago.
“I’m going to take some time to figure it out,” Kelce added about a retirement decision that he seemed quite confident about before the Super Bowl. “I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, it’s going to be something that — it’s a wholehearted decision. …I’m fully here for them and I think I can play. It’s just whether or not I’m motivated or if it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”
Along with dating entertainment superstar Taylor Swift, Kelce has filled his off-the-field time with acting and game-show-host roles along with other business endeavors. One wonders if he’ll soon decide going all-in on his post-football journey is what’s best for everybody involved.
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