Travis Kelce is genuinely considering retiring from football after the Super Bowl, despite his claims earlier this week that he could play another three years for the Kansas City Chiefs.
According to a bombshell report by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport on Saturday night, the eve of the Super Bowl, Kelce still hasn’t actually decided for certain that he wants to keep playing beyond Sunday – despite saying Monday that he would be back.
Rapoport adds that Kelce, 35, could have his mind swayed by the outcome of Sunday’s game in New Orleans against the Philadelphia Eagles. Whatever he decides, Rapoport says Kelce will announce his decision before March 12, which is when free agency begins.
Speaking to NFL.Com, Rapoport said: ‘It could in fact be the final time we see Travis Kelce on a football field (this weekend).
‘Here is my understanding of the situation – from what I am told, Travis Kelce is undecided about if he wants to play in the 2025 season.
‘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.
Travis Kelce is said to be giving serious thought to retiring after Sunday’s Super Bowl
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‘He is probably going to take some time after the game and assess his future.’
The claims are likely to stun Chiefs fans the night before the team take their shot at Super Bowl history by trying to become the first team to win three straight titles.
Speaking earlier this week, Kelce was asked where he sees himself in three years.
‘Hopefully still playing football. I love doing this. I love coming into work every day. I feel like I still got a lot of good football left in me,’ he said on February 3.
‘We’ll see what happens. I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing that football only lasts for so long.
‘For the most part, I’m planning on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.’
It felt like the matter was closed from there but it now seems that Kelce will only show his hand after the game. Kelce may have been trying to diffuse the speculation over his future from here in order to focus on Sunday’s game.
If he does bring the curtain down on his 12-year career, Kelce will do down as one of the best tight ends – if not the very best – to have played the game.
Earlier this week, Kelce implied that he could play for the Chiefs for up to three more years
But despite what Kelce said, it now appears that his decision has not been finalized yet
Win or lose, Sunday’s Super Bowl takes Kelce to the halfway point of the two-year deal he signed with the Chiefs in 2024, worth $14million a season.
But Kelce stands to make more millions through his life off the field, where his fame has rapidly expanded off the back of his relationship with Taylor Swift.
He has made forays into the acting world in the football offseason and also hosted a quiz show on Amazon. He signed a new deal for his New Heights podcast last year, alongside older brother Jason, worth around $100million.
In November 2023, just two months after his relationship with Swift became public, Kelce admitted that retirement crosses his mind often.
‘More than anyone could ever imagine,’ Kelce said when he was asked if he thinks about life after football.
‘The discomfort. The pain. The lingering injuries – the 10 surgeries I’ve had that I still feel every single surgery to this day.’
On Friday night, Kelce surprisingly went out for dinner with Swift and teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany.
It was surprising to see the two star men for the Chiefs out and about, even thought they won’t have broken any rules. Teams do typically stick to the confines of their hotel so close to the season-defining game.
It was also reported earlier in the week that Kelce and Mahomes have ordered around $200k of champagne and $11k in cigars for his team to party if they win the Super Bowl.
And it might be the way Kelce says goodbye to his team after 12 years in football.
