Travis Kelce reportedly makes retirement decision
FILE - Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on prior to Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
It appears Travis Kelce is not quite done with football.
After months of speculation before and following their Super Bowl loss, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end appears to have confirmed he’s "coming back for sure" next NFL season.
Pat McAfee Show
Dig deeper:
During an episode of the Pat McAfee Show, hosted by former NFL punter Pat McAfee, a text message from "sources" was read aloud to reveal Kelce wasn’t ready to hang up his helmet quite yet.
Though McAfee didn’t explicitly say the text message was from Kelce, it was implied that the 35-year-old football star was behind the message.
"My dawg!!! I’m coming back for sure," Kelce reportedly said. "Gonna try and get into the best shape I’ve been this off-season and get back to the mountain top. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!"
What they're saying:
Thursday’s report seemed to mirror comments made by the Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach on Tuesday, who said he believed Kelce had more to give.
"Still think he has that fire and desire to play and, as far as I’m concerned, there is no deadline. I think we left as he’d be back, and we’re excited to get him back and get him going."
Kelce and the Chiefs
Despite a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month, Kelce has marked his career on the team with notable accomplishments.
By the numbers:
Kelce is still playing at a high level even if he has fallen off a bit from his peak. He had 97 catches this season but only gained 823 yards and scored three TDs.
Kelce looked more like his old self in the divisional-round win over Houston with seven catches for 117 yards and entered the Super Bowl with the most catches ever in the playoffs (174) and second to Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in yards receiving (2,039) and TD catches (20).
The three-time Super Bowl champion signed a two-year, $34.25 million contract extension before last season that runs through the 2025-2026 season.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from FOX News, FOX Sports, The Associated Press and a clip from the Pat McAfee Show’s Feb. 27 episode. This story was reported from Los Angeles.