Travis Kelce has revealed the reason why he will be returning to the Kansas City Chiefs next year for his 13th season with the team.
After contemplating retirement following the most recent season, during which the Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Travis confirmed he would continue his football career in a text sent to The Pat McAfee Show on February 27.
During Wednesday’s episode of his New Heights podcast, the professional athlete opened up about his decision to continue into the 2025/2026 season.
“The biggest thing is that I f***ing love playing the game of football. I love playing,” the 35-year-old NFL tight end told his brother Jason. “I still think I can play it at a high level, and possibly at a higher level than I did last year.”
Travis also admitted he wasn’t comfortable with the 2025 Super Bowl being his last game. The Chiefs were defeated 40-22 by the Eagles after being down 24-0 at halftime.
“It was probably the biggest factor [in putting off retirement],” he said of the championship match, which he then described as an “all-time low.”
“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, especially if you look at my track record and how I’ve been in years past,” Travis continued. “I got a bad taste in my mouth for how I ended the year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was for the people around me.”
Travis said his decision to continue playing ultimately came down to a feeling. “I’m not a big measure the pros and cons [guy]. Pure gut feeling,” he said. “I pulled the trigger as soon as I knew that feeling.”
When asked whether he’d be more inclined to exit the league if the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, Travis said: “I mean, it’s a pretty cool way to go out, but I think I would still have love for the game.”
Already, Travis’s off-season schedule is booked up with guest appearances in two productions — Happy Gilmore 2 and Grotesquerie — as well as a hosting gig for Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?.
The news of Travis’s plan to return to the Chiefs next season comes after it was revealed that he’d been battling a “pretty big illness” just before the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke on the NFL Insider’s podcast on February 26 about the team’s loss and how Travis’s health might’ve been a factor.
“We’re never going to make excuses and talk about it, but he was battling with a pretty big illness there before the Super Bowl,” Veach said of Travis. “But the way the Eagles played it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
Veach did not reveal any further details about Travis’s illness.
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