Travis Kelce drops massive retirement bombshell after Chiefs’ Super Bowl defeat

Travis Kelce is one of the greats of the NFL, but after a poor season he has made a call about his future in the sport.

Travis Kelce revealed where his thinking is at on his NFL future after the Chiefs were destroyed in Super Bowl 2025 by the Eagles.

Kelce, 35, discussed the “wear and tear” his body has endured throughout his glittering, 12-year NFL career and acknowledged that retirement is a possibility on the “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Jason, the New York Post reports.

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“I know everybody wants to know whether I am playing next year and right now I am just kicking everything down the road. I am kicking every can I can down the road,” said Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champ.

“I am not making any crazy decisions, but right now the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches understanding there’s a lot that goes into this thing.

“I’ve been fortunate over the past five, six years, I’ve played more football than anybody …

“The fact that we keep going to these AFC Championships and Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league. That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body.

“It’s a lot of time in the building … That process can be gruelling. It can weigh on you. It can make you better and it can drive you crazy.

“Right now, it was one of those things where it was driving me crazy this year. It happens as you tail off towards the back nine of your career.”

Travis Kelce is seriously considering retirement. (Photo by JAMIE SQUIRE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The NFL star — who set a record for the most catches in Super Bowl history Sunday — detailed the “tough reality” he’s been faced with.

Kelce was a non-factor in the 40-22 loss to Philadelphia, pulling in four catches for 39 yards, with all of that production coming in the second half with the Eagles far ahead.

The future Hall of Famer had career lows of 823 yards and three touchdowns this season.

“As you see yourself or feel yourself not having this success that you once used to have, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” he said. “To not be there in the biggest moments, knowing your team is counting on you, those are all extremely hard things — it’s just a tough reality.”

Kelce, who has been with the Chiefs since 2013, refused to say if he’s hanging up his cleats for good.

“I’m going to take some time to figure it out,” he said. “I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, it’s going to be something that — it’s a wholehearted decision.

“I’m not half-assing it. I’m fully here for them and I think I can play. It’s just whether or not I’m motivated or if it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”

Travis Kelce had little impact in the big dance. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Travis Kelce’s brother Jason (left) called time on his NFL career last year. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Brother Jason retired last March after 13 seasons in the NFL with the Eagles.

“Preaching to the choir,” he said.

Kelce can kick the can down the road all he wants, but his retirement decision is coming for him sooner rather than later.

Retirement decisions are typically made before the new league year starts, which is March 12, and Kelce non-coincidentally has an $11.5 million roster bonus that is due to be paid out on March 14.

He is slated to make $19.5 million in 2025, the final season of his contract, according to Spotrac.

Knowing those March dates are looming, Kelce will need to decide if he’s more focused on football or his post-NFL life with billionaire music-mogul girlfriend Taylor Swift and surely plenty of media ventures.

This story was published by the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Travis Kelce drops massive retirement bombshell after Chiefs’ Super Bowl defeat