Travis Kelce’s storied NFL career may be coming to a close.
The Kansas City Chiefs great admitted he is considering his future after a brutal loss to the Philadelphia Eagles meant an unprecedented three-peat charge fell at the final hurdle.
“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I‘m playing next year,” the 35-year-old said. “Right now I am just kicking everything down the road. I am kicking every can I can down the road.
“I’m 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 that there’s a lot that goes into this thing.”
Kelce’s comments are eerily similar to brother Jason‘s thoughts before he decided to call time on his own career last year.
And according to The Athletic, the Chiefs want a decision by March 14.
Per Spotrac, Kelce is owed an $11.5million roster bonus on that date and a further $1mif he attends training camp.
If he retires before the deadline, the Chiefs will only be faced with $2.5m in dead cap. If he does so after March 14, that rises to $19.8m.
The price of success is set to weigh heavily in Kansas City next year.
The Chiefs are using 63 percent of their available cap space on five players,
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a cap hit of $66.3m in 2025, defensive tackle Chris Jones ($34.9m), offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor ($27.4m), guard Joe Thuney ($27m) and Kelce are not a cheap group to keep together.
As it stands, head coach Andy Reid has just $15m to spend over the offseason with a major weakness to fix after his offensive line was torn to shreds by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
GettyKelce’s body has taken a hammering down the years[/caption]
Kelce retiring would bring some relief — although the Hall of Fame-bound tight end will be impossible to replace.
Mahomes restructured his contract in 2024 and could do so again to clear more space to build for another Super Bowl challenge.
Since calling it quits, Jason has not spent much time out of the limelight thanks to the New Heights podcast he shares with Travis.
The Chiefs superstar has reached a new level of fame thanks to dating Taylor Swift and has numerous acting and endorsement deals to keep him busy should he hang up his cleats.
Travis admits that numerous trips deep into the postseason — Kansas City has made five Super Bowls in six seasons — has taken its toll.
“I’ve been fortunate over the past five, six years I’ve played more football than anybody,” he explained.
“The fact that we keep going to these AFC championships and these 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.”
Jason seemed to be in a similar frame of mind to his brother at the end of the 2023 season.
“Still figuring it out. I think if I still want to play, I’m going to play. I think right now we’re not far enough away from the last game,” he told Adam Lefkoe and Shaquille O’Neal on The Big Podcast.
“So I’m just going to take some time, rest, recover, and then figure it out. I think I’ll have an answer in the next couple of weeks.”
Neither Kelce has anything left to prove on the football field and only Travis knows how much more motivation he has in the tank.
Whatever happens, it wouldn’t be wise to bet against Reid and Mahomes next season no matter the Chiefs’ cap struggles.
