Travis Kelce has helped the Kansas City Chiefs reach five of the past six Tidy Bowls
BBC Sport journalist
Travis Kelce already has an ethical suggestion how tricky a call it’s a ways for an NFL participant to retire.
Practically two years in the past he watched his older brother Jason struggle thru the direction of.
Travis used to be sat in the entrance row of his retirement data conference, wiping away tears as a 36-year-historical Jason launched he used to be ending his Thirteen-year profession with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now Travis is 36 and living to face a an identical jam as he approaches the discontinue of his thirteenth year.
After a hit three Tidy Bowls in the past six years with the Kansas City Chiefs, his contract expires at the discontinue of the season.
Having did no longer reach the play-offs for the dear time in eleven years, the Chiefs’ kingdom is in the end crumbling.
With Kelce moreover anticipated to marry his fiancee Taylor Swift subsequent summer, is now the time for one of many NFL’s most racy tight ends to call it a day?
Resolution will ‘near to you with time’
Jason Kelce’s retirement used to be an emotional affair, attended by his brother Travis and their of us
Travis Kelce has regarded as as retirement forward of, after Philadelphia steer clear off Kansas City a hit a third straight Tidy Bowl closing season.
He took time to ask “whether I’m motivated or it’s basically the most racy decision for me” to return for the closing year of his contract and “rating on all of that duty”.
A month after making his fifth Tidy Bowl look in February, Kelce confirmed he would continue.
Nonetheless the Chiefs have since regarded a shadow of their venerable selves, being eliminated from play-off contention with three games of the conventional season closing.
Kelce’s future is one of many query marks inserting over Kansas City as they put collectively to rebuild, and his brother Jason used to be asked at some level of his media work with ESPN whether he had any suggestion.
“You have gotten bought to step faraway from the game for pretty bit,” acknowledged the 2018 Tidy Bowl winner with the Eagles. “Play these three games, ride them, after which let it sink in. It’ll near to you with time.”
The first of those games at Tennessee on Sunday, though, used to be no longer very delectable. After Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending effort the week forward of, his support-up Gardner Minshew moreover bought injured, so the Chiefs ended the game with third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun.
The Titans obtained 26-9 for their third victory this season and Kelce had valid one reception for six yards as Kansas City slipped to a 6-9 legend. Even if they snatch their closing two games, this would possibly maybe maybe well well be Andy Reid’s worst legend in Thirteen seasons as their head coach.
Why he opted against ‘farewell tour’
After closing season’s whole Tidy Bowl defeat by the Eagles, Kelce interestingly texted sports analyst Pat McAfee, external announcing, “I will no longer exit love that”.
With out a doubt here is no longer any longer how Kelce wanted it to discontinue either.
His on-field connection with Mahomes used to be pivotal to the Chiefs setting up an NFL dynasty, and now the quarterback, 30, is no longer any longer going to be accessible for what would perchance well also be Kelce’s closing games.
On Christmas Day, the Chiefs host a Denver Broncos team taking a stare to safe the AFC’s prime seed for the play-offs. Then they search suggestion from Las Vegas to face a Raiders team which would perchance well also discontinue the season with the NFL’s worst legend.
On the opposite hand, Allegiant Stadium is the save Kelce ended a whirlwind 2023 season at some level of which he began dating pop famous particular person Swift. Their relationship catapulted his profile to a whole fresh stage and Swifties followed the singer’s bustle against time to earn from Tokyo to Vegas to ask her fresh lover snatch a third Tidy Bowl.
Talking earlier this year about whether he would perchance well well issue a retirement decision forward of the discontinue of the season, so that he would perchance well also have a ‘farewell tour’, Kelce acknowledged: “That’s no longer me.”
He added he would rating on his future forward of the start of free agency on eleven March, giving the Chiefs time to put collectively for the 2026 season.
Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs celebrate their 2024 Tidy Bowl snatch
Kelce has already been making ready for lifestyles after football.
In 2016 he starred in his occupy actuality TV dating series and he and Jason launched a podcast known as Unique Heights in 2022.
At the discontinue of that season, they turned into the first brothers to play every other in a Tidy Bowl and seemed on the Saturday Night Live comedy present.
Since then, Travis has worked as a sport present host, an actor and an executive producer.
In a GQ quilt legend this summer,, external Kelce acknowledged his football “would perchance well well need slipped pretty bit on legend of I did have pretty bit more center of attention in making an try to living myself up”.
While Jason is now a TV analyst, it’s a ways no longer going Travis will doubtless be conscious that well-trodden course from the sector to the commentary gross sales residence.
If he retires and gets married subsequent year, there will doubtless be diverse different alternatives waiting for him in movie and tv, and perchance he and his fresh wife will start a family.
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‘The air of a particular person announcing goodbye’
In that GQ interview, Kelce acknowledged the 2023 and 2024 seasons “haven’t been to my long-established”. Statistically, his production did decline in every of those years.
There used to be a cramped uptick this season and he remains the team’s main receiver, nonetheless Kelce has registered valid one reception in two of the past three games.
Kelce is conscious of Kansas City are in transition and even supposing Mahomes – who has torn ligaments in his left knee – can play before every little thing of subsequent season, he’s no longer any longer going to be entirely fit. There will not be any longer any longer any guarantee they are going to manufacture an immediate return to the play-offs.
If Kelce commits to one other year, he would perchance well also honest no longer be in a region to abet the Chiefs earn support to the mountain prime, nonetheless he would have the choice to living their fresh-survey roster on the particular course.
He gave nothing away forward of the loss to the Titans, telling reporters: “I would perchance well well pretty withhold the dear kind out this team appropriate now.”
Nonetheless the ability Kelce mixed with fans in Tennessee, he had the air of a particular individual that used to be announcing goodbye.
He now has the chance to tell a festive farewell on home soil at Arrowhead, the scene of most of his most racy triumphs.