Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, some speculated tight end Travis Kelce had played his last game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Retirement conjecture has surrounded Kelce for the better part of the 2024 season amid debates about whether he has regressed on the field since he started dating pop star Taylor Swift over a year-and-a-half ago.

While Kelce had the worst year of his career statistically in 2024 (97 catches, 823 yards and three touchdowns — the latter two career lows), he still ranked third in targets (131) and receptions, and fifth in receiving yards among NFL tight ends. He had a vintage Kelce performance in KC’s 23-14 playoff win over the Houston Texans (seven catches, 117 yards and a touchdown).

Kelce has to decide if, at 35, he’s ready to walk away from the game or if he still has the passion to keep playing despite having financial and career security as he likely transitions into acting and other media-based opportunities in his post-football life.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Kelce has seemingly already made up his mind about where his career goes from here.

“He understands he is in good shape professionally and personally when he retires, but as he gets asked about in the next two weeks, he wants to stay in the league,” a source told the Daily Mail.

“He still believes he has more to give. Ask the same question next year, then we might have a conversation, but right now all his intentions are to stay with the Chiefs and play in the NFL next season whether they win or lose the Super Bowl.”

Many sports media pundits have urged Kelce to retire after the season, citing the decline in his production since he entered into a relationship with Swift, who has been called a distraction more than a few times this year.

However, Kelce recently confessed during an appearance on the “Stephen A. Smith Show” that Swift has actually encouraged him to continue playing for as long as he wants.

Though Kelce appears to be pretty well set up to transition from playing into the acting/media fields after he retires, it doesn’t seem like he’s quite ready to take that step yet.

“When it comes to his success in acting and podcasting and seeing the opportunities his brother has had after his retirement, Travis is not ready to retire himself,” the Daily Mail’s source continued. “Whether the Chiefs win or lose, he would want to either go for the four-peat or avenge losing in the Super Bowl and would love to try to get back there.”