Travis Kelce’s NFL future was the talk of the town for a portion of the offseason.
Following the Kansas City Chiefs‘ disappointing Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in February, the legendary tight end began to mull over retirement.
Kelce was contemplating retirement after the Chiefs lost Super Bowl LIXGettyAfter all, despite disappointment in New Orleans, Kelce has done it all.
The 35-year-old is a three-time Super Bowl champion with more than 1,000 receptions, 12,151 yards and a string of league records to his name.
Kelce’s 80 touchdowns also make him Kansas City’s leader in receiving scores. He surpassed the previous record of 77, set by Tony Gonzalez, in 2024.
With a profile that now transcends the sporting world, thanks in part to his high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift, no one would have blamed the Chiefs TE for hanging up his cleats after Super Bowl LIX.
But that won’t be the case.
Kelce has confirmed he will return for at least one more NFL season, and if teammate Patrick Mahomes is to be believed, he could be sticking around for longer than that.
Speaking to reporters this week, the Kansas City quarterback dismissed any suggestion that Kelce looks like player heading into the final year of his career.
“If this is the last ride, you would never know,” Mahomes said on Wednesday, as he took part in organized team activities.
“The way he’s talking about football, the way he’s talking about working and trying to be even better this year than last year.
“He doesn’t seem like a guy on his last ride, that’s tired of the job.”
Mahomes believes Kelce is in fantastic shape ahead of the 2025 seasonGettyMahomes added that Kelce remains in fantastic shape ahead of his 13th NFL season.
The QB continued: “I know his body feels good, better than even last year, going into last season.
“He’s motivated to go out there and have an even better year than last.”
Announcing his decision to return to the Chiefs back in March, Kelce admitted that the biggest driver was a ‘f***ing love’ of football.
“I love playing. I still feel like I can play it at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year,” the tight end told brother Jason, who was left ‘feeling a little hurt’ by Travis’ decision-making process.
“I don’t think it was my best outing.”
Kelce has previously admitted he fell short of his own expectations in 2024GettyThe fact that Mahomes believes he’s in better shape this year, compared to last, suggests Kelce could hit new heights in 2025.
Of course, he has absolutely nothing to prove on the field, and when the time does come for retirement, he will begin a countdown to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But after Super Bowl heartbreak in 2024, it seems that Kelce wants to ride off into the sunset on a high.
The Chiefs fell just short of glory, and a historic three-peat, in a season that saw their tight end finish with 97 catches for 823 yards and three TDs.
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While those are solid numbers for a man of his position, especially given his age, the yards and scores were career lows outside of his one-game rookie campaign.
If Kelce can better that in 2025, and perhaps help Kansas City banish the demons of Super Bowl disappointment against the Eagles, he will be able to hang up his cleats in peace.
But if that doesn’t happen, then any ‘last ride’ could be further delayed, as Mahomes suggests.
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