The Kansas City Chiefs have their financial timetable as it regards Travis Kelce’s future.

That’s business. We respect that.

At the same time, we respect so much what the legendary Kelce has done for Kansas City and for the Chiefs that while the tight end, at age 35, is expressing some uncertainty about whether to continue playing in 2025 vs. whether to retire … We think he deserved a bit of space.

And we are rather shocked that an ESPN personality who has lived the life is unable to see it that way. The questions have come, quite naturally, following the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Going into the AFC title game, Kelce had strung together a 14-game streak of playoff games in which he’d recorded at least 70 yards receiving.

That – tackled on to all his other records – is a dazzling thing. And then it went away in this postseason, as KC was pounded by Philly, 40-22 … while Kelce recorded the fewest yards (39) of his five career Super Bowl appearances.

Are there signs of decline?

That’s really no secret.

And who should decide that it’s over? ESPN? On Wednesday’s SportsCenter, former NFL defensive lineman Booger McFarland forged the argument that 1) Kelce’s indecision is a sign that he should walk away from the sport and that 2) He really, really should do so. “I retired from the National Football League after nine years.

I knew it was time to retire when I was thinking about retirement,” McFarland said.

“The fact that Travis Kelce – who is a first-ballot Hall of Famer – is thinking about retiring, I think it’s time for him to go on.”

This actually mirrors a philosophy first uttered by legendary Bills coach Marv Levy, who once suggested that as soon as a player is thinking about retiring, he is essentially retiring.

But McFarland pushed it from there, insisting that the 10-time Pro Bowler and 13-year veteran needs to hang ’em up.

“His physical skills are diminishing a little bit. I thought he played his worst football game that I’ve ever seen him play in the Super Bowl,” McFarland said. “I get it.

You don’t want to go out on that note. But at some point, let’s not tarnish the legacy that you built.”

We think McFarland probably does “get it” better than most. At the same time, we also think the last thing Travis Kelce needs right now is unsolicited advice from a guy in a studio in Bristol.