The Kansas City Chiefs quest to win their third straight Super Bowl came up short, as they suffered a blowout 40-22 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. As Travis Kelce recently shared, the defeat has been a very tough pill for him and his team to swallow.

Kelce and the Chiefs offense was largely anemic in this game, as the star tight end hauled in just four passes for 39 yards. According to Kansas City’s general manager, Brett Veach, Kelce was dealing with an illness ahead of this game that could have led to his lackluster performance.

“We’re never gonna make excuses and talk about it, but (Kelce) was battling with a pretty big illness there before the Super Bowl,” Veach said in an interview with Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. “But listen, the way the Eagles played, it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy stepped up with Kelce putting together a quiet outing, as he hauled in eight passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. It wasn’t enough for Kansas City to win, though, with Kelce issuing a sobering five-word admission about the loss.

“The Eagles broke my heart,” Kelce said on the latest episode of his “New Heights” podcast.

Kelce turned in another strong campaign in 2024, racking up 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns, which earned him his 10th straight Pro Bowl selection. With this loss in the books, though, retirement rumors have begun to swirl around Kansas City’s top pass-catcher.

The good news for the Chiefs is that Kelce is reportedly expected to return for the 2025 campaign. However, the man himself has not officially revealed his plans, and he allegedly has until March 14 to make up his mind on whether or not he will be calling it a career this offseason.