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On the eve of the 2025 Super Bowl, it was reported Travis Kelce was considering retirement and what happened in the big game could influence his decision.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ dreams of a three-peat vanished, and Kelce announced he would be returning for the 2025 season.
It goes without saying Kelce is approaching the end of his career.
He posted career lows in yards and touchdowns and, for a second straight season, failed to make an All-Pro team after doing so in eight consecutive years.
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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after Mahomes’ touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Denny Medley/Imagn Images)
He’s also had two consecutive seasons without eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yardage.
“If it’s the last ride, you would never know,” Mahomes told reporters Thursday at Chiefs practice. “The way he’s talking about football, the way he’s talking about working and trying to be even better this year than he was last year, he doesn’t seem like a guy like it’s his last ride, like he’s tired of the job.”
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) wait to lead the team onto the field before a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Aug. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
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Kelce, 35, initially said he was “kicking every can I can down the road” regarding his decision to retire. But, ultimately, “I f—ing love playing the game of football.”
“I still feel like I can play at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don’t think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them,” Kelce said on “New Heights” in March.
“Especially if you look at my track record and how I’ve been in years past. I want to give it a good run. I have a bad taste in my mouth in how I ended the year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was for the people around me. And I love so many people in Kansas City, both in that facility and in the community, and it’s home for me.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce walks off the field after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
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“I don’t want to leave that life yet. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and put in a lot of focus into being the best that I can for KC. Last year, it didn’t end well for us, and I feel like there is a responsibility in me to play out the contract I initially signed to give Kansas City and the Chiefs organization everything I’ve got, and that’s what I’m gonna do, man.”
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