Kansas City, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce didn’t tip whether he’s leaning toward retirement during a news conference Friday, saying he wants to keep the focus on his team for the last three games of the season.
Kelce, 36, is wrapping up his 13th pro season of an eventual Hall of Fame career. He’s in his last season under contract with the Chiefs, who struggled to a 6-8 record this year and are out of playoff contention.
“I think I’d rather just keep the focus of the media and everything on this team right now,” Kelce said. “All the conversations that I have with the team and everything moving forward will be with them.”
Kelce acknowledged Friday that this is a “unique time in (his) life.” He recently became engaged to pop star Taylor Swift, and their wedding is set for next summer.
So why take part in these three final games, which are meaningless for the Chiefs’ playoff hopes? Kelce said it came back to playing the game he loves.
“You can roll the balls out in a Walmart parking lot, man. Sign me up, baby,” Kelce said with a smile. “If I get a chance to play in the NFL, I’m gonna do it.”
Any time or place, @tkelce just wants to ball.#WPMOYChallenge pic.twitter.com/tJ0c0gfyEA
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 19, 2025
The Chiefs lost more than a game last week at home to the Los Angeles Chargers. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes also suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter, which puts his status for the start of next season in doubt.
Kelce described the development with Mahomes as “an absolute dagger into the back.”
“It sucks, but that’s the reality of it,” Kelce said. “And right now, we’ve got three games left to try and enjoy it with the guys in this building and the team that we’ve built here.”
Kelce’s retirement status is sure to be a national topic over the next few weeks. He’s expected to make his decision sometime before March, when the Chiefs will be solidifying their plans for next season.
Kelce has had a resurgent year in 2025, as his 797 receiving yards are tied for the second most among all NFL tight ends this season.
“I thought it was a step up even from what he played last year,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Friday. “He made that a point this offseason to really focus in and come in great shape, and that helped him throughout the year here. He’s been able to maintain that.”
Kelce, though, is also facing the reality that he’s not getting younger. When asked how his body felt Friday, he said, “We’re rolling, man,” before conceding that everything isn’t perfect.
“It’s an honor to be out there on that field and feeling the discomfort that I’m feeling right now, because there’s a lot of guys and a lot of people that wish they could be out there on that field and get a chance to make those plays and feel the soreness after a game,” Kelce said. “It’s almost an honor to feel all that. It’s the end of a football season. Everybody’s banged up. But yeah, this year is no different than others.”
Kelce also spoke about the season’s overall disappointment. Despite a plus-60 point differential, the Chiefs are 6-8, especially struggling in critical moments.
K.C. is 1-7 in one-score games and will be missing the postseason for the first time since 2014.
“That’s where it’s mostly frustrating is that we’ve seen spurts and parts of the season where we are that team that I think could make a run at a championship,” Kelce said. “And then times where we don’t even deserve to be in the playoffs.”
Kelce said integrity was part of the reason he wanted to be on the field for the rest of his team’s games. That starts with Sunday’s road contest against the Tennessee Titans.
“I signed up to be a Kansas City Chief, and I love doing what I do,” Kelce said. “I’ve been dreaming of being in these moments and playing for an NFL team since I was a kid. And I think getting back to that will give you more motivation than you could ever need to play this game.”