There are many big questions on the minds of Kansas City Chiefs fans after a lost 2025 season. Perhaps the biggest question of them all – particularly for a specific subsection of the team’s fanbase – is whether Travis Kelce is retiring.
Retirement rumors have been buzzing since the end of last season, when the Chiefs’ tight end had the worst statistical season of his career since he became a starter for the Chiefs in 2014. After a bounce-back year in 2025, Kelce, for his part, has done nothing to silence any narrative that he’s thinking about retiring.
On the latest episode of the ‘New Heights’ podcast that Kelce hosts with his brother, Jason, the 13-year NFL veteran did not commit to making a return to football in 2026.
Did Travis Kelce announce his retirement?
So what are Kelce’s plans for the future?
‘Just being a regular human for a couple weeks, maybe a month or so, and try to figure out what I’m going to do next in terms of my future in football,’ Kelce said. ‘I’ve talked to a few people in the facility already, having the exit meetings and everything. They know where I stand, at least right now.’
The Chiefs’ tight end wrapped up his 13th season in 2025 and earned an 11th consecutive Pro Bowl nod in the process. Kelce also turned 36 years old during the season, making him the second-oldest active player at his position behind 41-year-old Marcedes Lewis. He’s now played the same number of seasons as Jason Kelce and is the same age as his brother was when he retired two years ago.
Kelce is also set to hit free agency in the new league year if he doesn’t sign any extension before then. His two-year contract restructure he agreed to before the 2024 season is up when the 2025 league year ends.
‘It’s a tough thing to navigate, but at the same time, if my body can rest up and heal up, and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18-, 20-, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat,’ Kelce said. ‘I think right now, it’s just finding that answer and seeing how the body feels after this game and when it all settles down.’
Jason Kelce followed that up by asking Travis about defensive end Chris Jones’ comments that the tight end would be back next year. Travis laughed it off.
‘Nice,’ Kelce said while grinning. ‘That’s why we love Chris, he’s very optimistic.’
If Kelce does hang up his cleats, he does so after a career that will go down as one of the league’s best at the tight end position. His 12 receiving yards in Week 18 pushed him over 13,000 receiving yards for his career – the third tight end to ever cross that mark – and his three catches vaulted him over Terrell Owens for the eighth-most receptions in NFL history with 1,080.
He’ll also have plenty to keep him busy in retirement if this is the end. Kelce got engaged to global pop superstar Taylor Swift before the season began, his ‘New Heights’ podcast has won multiple awards and is among the most popular sports podcasts ever. The tight end also starred in last year’s ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ suggesting a possible future in the entertainment business.
