Is Travis Kelce considering retirement after his Kansas City Chiefs lost Super Bowl 59 to the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans? He shed some light on that monumental decision.
Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion, has hinted at possibly riding off into the sunset at various points throughout the year. He touched on the topic again during his most recent appearance on his “New Heights” podcast.
Travis Kelce Tells Teammates: ‘I Think I Can Play’
Kelce was mostly a non-factor in Super Bowl 59 as the Chiefs got walloped 40-22 in a game that was never close. The Pro Bowl tight end finished with four receptions for 39 yards, which was enough to break Jerry Rice’s record for most career catches in Super Bowl history at 35.
The 35-year-old has been pondering retirement since 2023, so the question of whether he’d be back in a Kansas City uniform next season was immediately relevant after the loss. Kelce addressed where his thought process was in a heart-to-heart conversation with his brother, Jason.
“I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” Kelce said on “New Heights.” “And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back that it’s gonna be a wholehearted decision and I’m not half-assing it, and I’m fully here for them.
“I think I can play, it’s just whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”
After a few days to process it, Travis reflected on Super Bowl LIX
Our Super Bowl recap episode premieres at 9:30am ET pic.twitter.com/dxhcSlvWS1
— New Heights (@newheightshow) February 12, 2025
Kelce finally shared his true feelings on the Super Bowl loss, too. The last anyone saw him was in the post-game locker room where his answers were terse. And his demeanor was despondent.
“It’s f****** football, man. I know I’m saying it like that because I just lost the f****** game and I’m going to act like it didn’t mean the entire world,” Kelce said. “It’s my third in three years. I’ve had so much success playing this game. It still means the world and it always will.”
Xavier Worthy Hinted at Kansas City Chiefs Teammates Retiring
Xavier Worthy caused some headlines when he hinted that some of his teammates might be leaving the Chiefs in 2025, via retirement or free agency.
Worthy talked about the possibility of some players retiring or leaving the Chiefs before the 2025 NFL season commences and how much those teammates meant to him.
“I would just like to thank the guys in my room,” Worthy said. “This might be my last time playing with them. Some of them, [it] might be their last game. Trades happen. These guys really helped me out a lot, just on my development as a man and as a player in this league.”
Xavier Worthy implies some Chiefs retirements are coming pic.twitter.com/f6jEEnu5QT
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) February 10, 2025
Wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown are both free agents. This was Hopkins’ 12th year in the league. He will be 33 years old before training camp begins. Returning to Kansas City is far from a guarantee.
For an aging veteran in the twilight of his career, Hopkins knows this was likely his best chance at winning a Super Bowl, and is understandably upset things did not go his team’s way.
Brown signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs last March, and it appeared he would play alongside Rashee Rice, potentially forming one of the top receiving duos in the league. Both missed time with injuries, however. Rice was shut down for the year, while Brown returned in time to enjoy Kansas City’s playoff run. It remains to be seen if he will continue to don the Chiefs colors.
Jason Kelce Clears the Air on Philadelphia Eagles Fandom
Travis’ big brother, Jason, was feeling the heat after a tweet congratulating the Eagles on their Super Bowl victory was posted and then deleted from the podcast’s social media account. He took to X to expound on what happened and why it came down.
“I had Jake take that graphic down because that post had too many pictures of me,” Jason wrote. “I wanted the post to be reflective of the guys who just won, not me. I didn’t win shit in this one, it felt weird to congratulate this team with a bunch of pictures of me.”
Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles, my former teammates, and friends on being SB LIX Champions!! There were a lot of emotions last night, and now that I’ve collected my thoughts, I’ll attempt to share them in the longest tweet ever.
That game was odd for me to watch if…
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) February 11, 2025
Kelce also shared that he was an emotional wreck during Super Bowl 59. He was completely torn between rooting for his little brother Travis and the Eagles’ franchise that he spent 13 unforgettable seasons.
“That game was odd for me to watch if I’m being completely honest,” Jason wrote. “I knew it was going to be mixed emotions before, during, and after, and I now know what my parents had to deal with two years ago.
“On one hand, I wanted what is best for my brother, and to see his success. And on the other hand, there are so many people, teammates, and coaches, in the Philadelphia Eagles organization that I care deeply about, many of whom I owe my own success to throughout my career.”