Travis Kelce will go down as one of the best tight ends of his generation. The Kansas City Chiefs star is considered an instant Hall of Famer the moment he calls quits.
However, a conversation has started to brew whether that time has arrived in Kelce’s career. Former NFL executive Louis Riddick wants Kelce to look in the mirror before deciding.
Travis Kelce to Reflect on His Future in NFL
The Chiefs suffered a 40-22 blowout loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59. This loss sparked a conversation regarding Kansas City’s shortcomings, apart from their virtually non-existent offensive line, several fingers pointed at Kelce.
The 10-time Pro Bowler had his worst full season this year, registering 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season. His horrid form continued in the postseason as well with only 13 catches for 175 yards and one TD under his belt.
Kelce addressed the retirement talks on the latest episode of his “New Heights,” podcast. However, he remained non-committal. He suggested that he is pushing that resolution and will “not make any crazy decisions.”
Riddick, on the other hand, during his appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” was head-on while talking about Kelce’s retirement.
“You have to look at this from a business perspective,” said Riddick. “And business is cruel in the NFL, and it’s going to be and it’s cruel to everybody. By and large, Travis is going to be 36, he’s coming off of his worst season of his career in terms of catches, yards per catch, yardage, and touchdowns.”
"The fact that [Travis Kelce] is already considering it leads me to believe that we're probably further along towards doing that than coming back." 😳
—@LRiddickESPN on if Chiefs TE Travis Kelce should retire from the NFL. pic.twitter.com/es7Yx64HCp
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 13, 2025
“End-to-end touchdowns and receiving touchdowns. And so now he’s [Kelce] questioning himself, whether or not that commitment, especially given how Patrick is going to commit himself this off-season.”
Riddick pointed out that head coach Andy Reid and the front office will have a long and hard look at the entire season to avoid this sort of embarrassment in the future. While he stated that he wants Kelce to come back, he predicts that might not be the case.
“There’ll be plenty of debates about that (retirement), but the fact that he’s already considering it leads me to believe that we’re probably further along towards doing that than coming back,” he added.