After flirting with retirement following last season, there is at least a belief that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce could retire after this season.
Kelce has not said one way or the other if he is going to hang up his cleats, but he did raise eyebrows big time recently when speaking about Patrick Mahomes' ACL tear and recovery.
The part of Kelce's quote that raised eyebrows was him referring to the team as "the Chiefs" rather than "we" when talking about Mahomes' eventual return, which led many to believe he doesn't plan on being back in 2026.
“He's gonna make sure he comes back stronger than ever... Hopefully the Chiefs can get him back as soon as possible,” Kelce said on his New Heights podcast.
On Friday, Kelce was asked about his future plans following this season, but he did not divulge what he plans to do.
“I’d rather keep the focus on this team, right now. All the conversations I have with the team moving forward will be with them. It’s a unique time in my life. I’ve got three games left and I know when the season ends," Kelce said, per ESPN's Nate Taylor.
It has been quite clear the last few years that Kelce is not the same player he once was. That said, he is still one of the better tight ends in the NFL and can make a significant impact on a weekly basis.
One thing that could prevent Kelce from retiring is how the Chiefs went out this year.
Kansas City's nine-year streak of winning the AFC West and 10-year streak of making the playoffs was snapped and he might not want to go out like that.
Then again, Kelce will have plenty of post-career opportunities. He could become an analyst, he has his podcast, and he even has acting experience now.
Kelce also has nothing left to prove. He is arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history and is a first-ballot Hall of Famer with three Super Bowl rings.
And, oh yeah, he's about to get married to Taylor Swift.
Kelce could go either way, but we believe he's going to retire after 2025.
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