For Travis Kelce and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Super Bowl didn't end how they had hoped.
After sailing through recent NFL seasons nearly undefeated — and five Super Bowl attendances in five years, three of which they won, though not consecutively — the Chiefs had a surprisingly lackluster performance at last night's game.
Not only did they fail to achieve the historic three-peat, which no other NFL team has ever done, but for most of the game, which concluded in 40-22, they sat at 0 points.
In the wake of the devastating defeat, many have wondered what it means for Travis, who is 35 years old and in his 12th season, and if it might have been his last Super Bowl, maybe even his last game.
Technically, just last year the beloved tight end renewed his contract for two years, for a whopping $34.25 million — a $17.125 million yearly average — which made him the highest-paid tight end in all of the NFL.
He has always for the most part brushed off questions about his retirement. Back in June 2024, after signing his new contract, he said ahead of a minicamp session that he wouldn't be retiring "anytime soon" and that he would be playing football "until the wheels fall off."
December 2024 was one of the first and few times he loosely broached the topic of retirement — after a somewhat less than stellar season — when he spoke with his brother Jason Kelce, who retired in 2024, about a game he played in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, against the Browns.
"It felt so surreal. I don't know if it's the last time I'll ever play in Cleveland, but it kinda felt like I was just giving it one last hurrah before I'm done because I've only played there twice in 12 years."
However, just a few days before the Super Bowl, asked during a presser what he thinks he'll be doing in three years, it didn't sound like retirement was in his plans. "Hopefully still playing football. I love doing this, I love coming into work every day. I feel like I still have a lot of good football left in me. We'll see what happens," he maintained.
His teammate Patrick Mahomes has also weighed in on Travis' retirement, though vaguely. Just after their Super Bowl loss, asked if Travis will be coming back next season, he said he would "let Travis make that decision on his own," and noted: "He's given so much to this team and to the NFL, and been such a joy not only for me to work with but [for] people to watch."
Referring to the forthcoming off season time, he added: "He'll get to spend some time with his family and make that decision on his own, but he knows he'll come back here with open arms."
Travis has also already spoken out about the Chiefs' Super Bowl loss, telling reporters shortly afterwards that they "haven't played that bad all year" and that the team "just couldn't find that spark, couldn't find that momentum."