When Travis Kelce was asked this week about where he sees himself in three years, he said he wasn’t exactly sure, but “hopefully, still playing football.”
That, however, might not be the case.
In fact, according to a new report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Super Bowl 2025 in New Orleans could end up being the last game of the star Chiefs tight end’s career.
Rapoport indicated that Kelce, playing in his fifth Super Bowl, is expected to take some time to think about his future after the big game against the Eagles, and that the outcome could affect his decision.
That decision is expected before the start of the new league year on March 12, the same day free agency begins.
The 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro has had a down year by his lofty standards, totaling 823 receiving yards, 8.5 yards per reception and three touchdowns, all of which were full-season lows.
Nevertheless, the 35-year-old shined in his final game of the regular season, on Christmas, with eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown.
And that momentum seemed to carry over into the divisional round against the Texans, when he recorded his ninth playoff game of at least 100 receiving yards to break Jerry Rice’s NFL record.
He didn’t factor much into the AFC Championship game with just two grabs.
“I love doing this. I love coming into work every day. I feel like I’ve still got a lot of good football left in me,” Kelce said Tuesday. “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 so long. You’ve got to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I’ve been doing that in my offseasons. But for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.”
In mid-January, Kelce joined sports media personality Stephen A. Smith on his eponymous podcast and said that his mind “changes every single day” when it comes to the retirement question.
“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 reevaluate it like I always do [and] I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing and I’ll come back next year.”
He followed that up on his “New Heights” podcast that he hosts with his brother Jason, who retired following the 2023 season after 13 seasons as the Eagles center, that he would love to end his career “on my terms.”
If Sunday does end up being the final game of his career, it will close the book on what is surely a Hall of Fame resume.
He not only ranks 14th on the NFL’s all-time receptions list (1,004) and 28th in yards (12,151), but he’s ranked first and second in those respective categories in postseason play.
Sunday’s game against the Eagles gives him and the Chiefs a chance to complete a three-peat, something that’s never happened in the Super Bowl era.
