Travis Kelce remains coy on whether he will retire at the end of this NFL season, despite Kansas City’s shock elimination from the playoff hunt.
The 36-year-old has been one of the most dominant tight ends of the 21st century for a long time now, and a key part of the Chiefs’ three Super Bowl wins.
However, 2025 has been a total disaster for Kansas City.
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The Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs last week, with insult added to injury as star quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in the final moments.
Travis Kelce following the loss to Tennessee. Getty
It’s the first time they have missed the playoffs in the Mahomes-Kelce era, coming off the Super Bowl defeat to Philadelphia last season.
Kelce, in the final year of his contract, seemed determined to go again because of the Super Bowl loss, hoping to chase one more ring, but that now won’t eventuate.
Things got even worse for the Chiefs on Monday morning. They were thrashed by the two-win struggling Tennessee Titans 26-9 and now sit at 6-9, as the Broncos and Chargers emerge as the clear dominant teams in the AFC West.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew also suffered a significant knee injury in the loss, feared to be a torn ACL, just one week after Mahomes.
Speaking before the game, Kelce said he was determined to see out the season despite the elimination.
“It’s just integrity, man,” the tight end told ESPN on Saturday.
“I signed up to be a Chief, and I love doing what I do. I know I’ve been dreaming of being in these moments and playing for an NFL team since I was a kid.
“Getting back to that will give you more motivation than you could ever need. That’s just how you need to go about work, whether you’re in the [playoff] race or not.
“I’m going to make sure these guys know I’m out there giving them everything I got.”
Kelce had one catch for six yards on four targets in the loss to the Titans. Hard to blame him, however with a third-string quarterback slinging it.
He has previously stated he will delay an official call on his future until potentially even March, given the free agency deadline.
“I think I’d rather just keep the focus on this team, right now,” Kelce said on Friday.
“All the conversations that I have with the team moving forward will be with them. It’s a unique time in my life. I’ve got three games left.
“Unfortunately, I’ve got three games left, and I know when the season ends. Just trying to make sure everybody here knows that I’m focused on trying to win games [in] these last three games.”
Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. Getty
Kelce said he has been in contact with Mahomes following his devastating injury.
“That’s my brother. I know everything he’s going through,” he said.
“It’s just disappointing, and then, on top of that, it’s just an absolute dagger into the back, knowing how the season ended for [Mahomes] on our last hope going into the last drive of [Sunday’s] game.
“It looked like we were going to have a chance to maybe come out with the win and keep our [playoff] hopes alive. It just kept going downhill from there.
“It sucks, man, but that’s the reality of it.”
A sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, Kelce will also marry billionaire musician Taylor Swift in 2026, with the pair recently engaged.
Kelce’s brother Jason, an offensive lineman for the Eagles, retired at the end of 2023 after a storied career of his own.
