Travis Kelce is genuinely considering retiring from football after the Super Bowl, despite his claims earlier this week that he could play another three years for the Kansas City Chiefs.
According to a bombshell report by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport on Saturday night, the eve of the Super Bowl, Kelce still hasn’t actually decided for certain that he wants to keep playing beyond Sunday – despite saying Monday that he would be back.
Rapoport adds that Kelce, 35, could have his mind swayed by the outcome of Sunday’s game in New Orleans against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Whatever he decides, Rapoport says Kelce will announce his decision before March 12, which is when free agency begins.
Speaking to NFL.Com, Rapoport said: ‘It could in fact be the final time we see Travis Kelce on a football field (this weekend).
‘Here is my understanding of the situation – from what I am told, Travis Kelce is undecided about if he wants to play in the 2025 season.
‘He has said he believes he has a lot of good football left. He has said he envisions himself playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. But he has not been definitive.
‘He is probably going to take some time after the game and assess his future.’
The claims are likely to stun Chiefs fans the night before the team take their shot at Super Bowl history by trying to become the first team to win three straight titles.
Speaking earlier this week, Kelce was asked where he sees himself in three years.
‘Hopefully still playing football. I love doing this. I love coming into work every day. I feel like I still got a lot of good football left in me,’ he said on February 3.
‘We’ll see what happens. I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing that football only lasts for so long.
‘For the most part, I’m planning on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.’
It felt like the matter was closed from there but it now seems that Kelce will only show his hand after the game. Kelce may have been trying to diffuse the speculation over his future from here in order to focus on Sunday’s game.
If he does bring the curtain down on his 12-year career, Kelce will do down as one of the best tight ends – if not the very best – to have played the game.
Win or lose, Sunday’s Super Bowl takes Kelce to the halfway point of the two-year deal he signed with the Chiefs in 2024, worth $14million a season.
But Kelce stands to make more millions through his life off the field, where his fame has rapidly expanded off the back of his relationship with Taylor Swift.
He has made forays into the acting world in the football offseason and also hosted a quiz show on Amazon. He signed a new deal for his New Heights podcast last year, alongside older brother Jason, worth around $100million.
