On the latest episode of “The Steam Room” podcast with Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson, six-time All-Pro Jason Kelce joined the show to reflect on his brother’s upcoming decision to retire or keep playing. After 20 years together on “Inside the NBA,” the podcast is a new platform for Johnson, Barkley, and weekly guests to explore conversations beyond the world of basketball.
With Kelce’s brother, Travis Kelce, contemplating retirement, Jason talked about the process and how he has contributed to his brother’s reflection a year after he retired from the NFL himself.
Jason Kelce Believes His Brother’s Made His Decision
On the podcast, Jason provided insight into his brother’s decision to consider retirement among other topics. The seven-time Pro Bowler toasted the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory while defending the Tush Push — even though physically he said “it sucks” as a center — and added insight on the impact Taylor Swift’s fans have had on the popularity of his “New Heights” podcast.
Travis hasn’t officially decided whether he’ll return to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025 or retire, but the Hall of Fame center thinks that decision has already been made.
“I think Travis — I think he probably, in his heart, already knows what he wants to do. I’m sure we will talk about it. We’ve already talked about it a little bit, and I’m sure he’s going to go through a process of figuring that out. We’re very similar people, but we also have different ways of thinking about things,” Jason said.
“Sometimes I can way overanalyze situations, and any big decision I’m having in my life, I’ll think about the negatives and what about this or that, and I want to do too much, and my brother has this way of being like, ‘Hey man, you want to play, or you don’t want to play.”
The retirement decision seems easier for Travis than Jason, no matter what the younger Kelce decides to do for 2025. Jason contemplated retirement for several years before officially deciding to retire after 14 seasons last year at the age of 36. If Travis decides to return, he will be entering his 14th season and will be 36 this October.
Travis recorded a below-average 2024-25 season for his standard, totaling 97 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns (8.5 yards per catch). The 823 yards were the lowest for Kelce in an entire season since 2014.
During the postseason, Kelce finished with 13 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown but had only four catches for 39 yards in the Super Bowl 59 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelce was essentially a non-factor in the game but played another significant role in the Chiefs’ reaching their third consecutive Super Bowl.
Kelce is the third tight end to have 12,000 receiving yards for his career, as his 12,151 yards are third all-time behind Tony Gonzalez (15,127) and Jason Witten (13,046). He is only 2,977 yards behind Gonzalez for the most for a tight end in NFL history and 896 behind Witten for second.
The former Cincinnati prospect is ranked third in receptions for a tight end (1,004) behind Gonzalez (1,325) and Witten (1,228). He’s also fifth among tight ends in receiving touchdowns (77), as Antonio Gates (116), Gonzalez (111), Rob Gronkowski (93), and Jimmy Graham (89) are ahead of him.