Travis Kelce Considers Retirement After Potential Chiefs Three-Peat

HENDERSON, Nev. — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, 35, is facing questions about his future in the NFL as the team pursues an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title. Kelce, who recently completed his 12th season, has hinted that retirement could be on the horizon if the Chiefs secure another championship.

Kelce finished the 2024 regular season with 823 receiving yards, marking the second consecutive year he fell short of the 1,000-yard mark. Despite this, he earned his 10th straight Pro Bowl selection and remains a key player for the Chiefs. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky suggested that a third Super Bowl win could prompt Kelce to retire, calling it “a very real thing” for the seven-time All-Pro.

“There would be nothing else to accomplish,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “He’d be arguably the greatest tight end of all time. He would be the tight end that was part of [the Chiefs’] only three-peat in the history of the NFL.”

Kelce has acknowledged that his thoughts on retirement fluctuate. During a recent interview, he admitted that he plans to “re-evaluate” his career 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. “I’ll re-evaluate it like I always do, [and] I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing, and I’ll come back next year.”

Kelce also revealed that pop star Taylor Swift, his girlfriend, fully supports his decision to continue playing. “She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game,” Kelce said. “She loves coming to Arrowhead and coming to the games and cheering for me.”

The Chiefs are set to face the No. 4 seed in the divisional round on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. A victory would bring them one step closer to making history and potentially solidify Kelce’s legacy as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.