After he helped lead the Kansas City Chiefs to their second consecutive Super Bowl title back in February, there was a lot of speculation that star tight end Travis Kelce could choose to retire from the league. Instead, he is back with the Chiefs as they go for an unprecedented three-peat, but he recently spoke about when he does plan to walk away from the game.
During the most recent episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce spoke on his inevitable retirement a little bit as he opened up about how and when he wants to end his career.
The most important thing for Kelce is that he has the chance to retire on his own terms – not because of an injury.
“If I can go out on my terms and not have something happen to my body, like a big-time injury to where I have to step away, that’s the biggest goal in football to be able to do it on my terms,” Kelce said according to the New York Post.
As for when that retirement decision will come, Kelce revealed that he’ll choose to walk away from the game as “the moment” he becomes more of an average player as a result of his age.
“I love playing at it at a level where I know I can have a bunch of success,” Kelce explained. “I know I can go out there and catch a flat route and turn it into a 15-20-yard gain and make a few guys miss, the moment that I can’t do that, I think that’s when I’m going to be when I’m like, alright, what am I doing this for?
“I get excitement out of catching a ball, splitting a bunch of defenders and getting a huge first down when nobody expected me to do it. Or I scored a huge touchdown in a playoff game in the fourth quarter when the team needed it the most. The moment that I can’t do that, and I’m playing it at an average or a less of a successful level than I am right now, I think that’s when I’m probably going to call it quits.”
Obviously, these comments sparked a lot of reactions on social media.
He's gonna retrie as the best te https://t.co/8o56mygthb
— Joseph 𝕏 (@JosephRosner114) June 19, 2024
Please, not anytime soon, @tkelce https://t.co/gxkrYdiXlg
— Anita Gillette (@AnitaGillette1) June 19, 2024
He will retire as the 🐐 TE
— Blitz Banter (@blitzbanter_) June 19, 2024
Best to play the position and it’s not a debate 💯
— Chiefs Focus (@ChiefsFocus) June 20, 2024
When he retires he is undoubtedly the best TE of all time
— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) June 19, 2024
Father Time works his own time my friend, hope you stay for a long time too, but just be aware 🐬🆙
— No Swim Zone (@noswimzone) June 19, 2024
expect him to play till he’s 41
— Jaelyn Johnson (@JAEJOHNSONPICK6) June 20, 2024
Earlier this year, Kelce gave another hint as to when he might choose to retire as he claimed that he would walk away from the game as soon as head coach Andy Reid decided to retire.
“I’m a passionate guy, I love coach Reid, coach Reid knows how much I love to play for him, I love to be a product of his coaching career,” Kelce said during an episode of his podcast back in February. “I’m not playing for anyone else but Big Red. If he calls it quits, I’m out there with him. He’s not though.”
Of course, that does not appear to be an immediate concern as Reid just signed a contract extension with the team that runs through the 2029 season, so he’s not going anywhere.
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