The last time the Kansas City Chiefs missed the playoffs, Travis Kelce was still a rookie tight end who spent the majority of the season on injured reserve. Eleven years later, the Chiefs’ streak of 10 postseason appearances is broken, and the future of that third-round pick turned Chiefs superstar is in question.
During “Monday Night Countdown” ahead of the Miami Dolphins-Pittsburgh Steelers game, Kelce’s brother Jason commented on whether Travis would weigh retirement at the end of the season.
“I’m curious, too,” Jason Kelce said. “In my opinion, to nail that decision, you have to step away from the game for a little bit. Play these last three games, enjoy them with your teammates, enjoy them with your coaches. The team’s going to be different no matter whether you come back or not next year.
“Enjoy these last three games and then let it sink in. It will come to you with time. … There are so many emotions with this game right after a season, especially with the way this one’s been. It’s been so up and down. I mean, (the Chiefs are) 1-7 in one-score games. They’ve been close, and right now it’s just too fresh. You gotta step away from it, you gotta think about it, and then, yeah, it will come to you.”
Jason Kelce was speaking from experience. He announced his retirement in March 2024, two months after he played his last game with the Philadelphia Eagles, a wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The elder Kelce, who was 36 when he retired, played 13 seasons — all with Philadelphia — and was a leader on a team that made six postseason appearances and two Super Bowl trips over his final seven seasons.
Ahead of his own 13th NFL season, Travis Kelce’s retirement timeline became a major storyline. The younger Kelce, 36, revealed on his “New Heights” podcast that he contemplated retirement after the Chiefs lost Super Bowl LIX to the Eagles. He later announced he would be returning and cited that Super Bowl letdown as an important factor in his decision.
“I want to give it a good run,” Travis Kelce said on his podcast in March. “I got a bad taste in my mouth on how I ended the year and how well I was laying and how accountable I was for the people around me.”
The Chiefs (6-8) were eliminated from postseason contention by a domino effect of outcomes in Week 15, highlighted by their 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes left the game during the Chiefs’ final drive with a torn ACL.
Travis Kelce’s contract with the Chiefs expires after this season, though he hasn’t said whether he plans on it being his last run. Time will tell how another season ending with disappointment — and an injury to his star quarterback — will impact Travis Kelce’s decision.
After Jason Kelce shared his thoughts, analyst Ryan Clark gave his two cents.
“It would feel extremely odd if somebody other than Patrick Mahomes throws Travis Kelce his last catch,” Clark said.
