Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce faces a pivotal choice about his NFL career, but it seems his quarterback would be thrilled to see him return.
After securing a lucrative new contract with the Chiefs in the offseason, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league, Travis Kelce’s performance this season didn’t quite match his paycheck.
Statistically, Kelce had the least productive season of his career since he became a full-time starter, with his receiving stats declining in nearly every category.
The veteran tight end recorded career lows in yards per game, yards per reception, and yards after the catch. He also had a reduced average depth of target and scored fewer touchdowns than in any previous season.
Kelce hasn’t dismissed the idea of retirement, acknowledging his subpar performance this year and indicating he will reassess his future after the season.
“I love everything that I’m doing … but at the end of the day, I’m not having that extreme success on the field,” Kelce said on the Stephen A. Smith Show. “I’m excited for these next couple of games … to finish this season off. I’ll re-evaluate it like I always do.”
With Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles looming on Sunday night, NFL insider Ian Rapoport from NFL Network shared that Kelce is uncertain about retirement, hinting that “could, in fact, be the final time that we see Travis Kelce on a football field.”
“From what I am told, Travis Kelce is undecided about whether or not he wants to play during the 2025 season,” Rapoport said. “He has said he believes he has a lot of good football left. He has said he envisions himself playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. But he has not been definitive. He has also said ‘We’ll see what happens.’ In other words to try and give himself some wiggle room.”
Following the game, Kelce made no statements about his future, but Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes broke his silence on the matter after the Super Bowl LIX loss, expressing his support for whatever Kelce decides.
However, Mahomes also made it very clear that he would welcome his. teammate back.
“I’ll let Travis make that decision on his own,” Mahomes said according to Pro Football Talk. “He’s given so much to this team, to the NFL and such a joy not only for me to work with, but for people to watch. He knows he has a lot of football left in him. You can see he always makes the plays at the biggest moments, but it’s if he wants to put in that grind…
“I know he still has love for the game. He’ll get some time with his family and make that decision on his own, but he knows he’ll come back here with welcome arms.”
We’ll just have to wait and see what Kelce decides to do.
