Travis Kelce Made The Right Call With His NFL Retirement Decision

On Thursday, Travis Kelce made it clear that he was ready to try to take the Kansas City Chiefs to yet another Super Bowl despite their devastating loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.

After 12 years in the league, the 35-year-old athlete decided that he has at least one more year left in him, despite brother Jason Kelce’s retirement last year.

Even though fans have mixed feelings about Travis Kelce’s football career, he has decided that he wants to keep playing. “I’m coming back, for sure,” Kelce told Pat McAfee in a text message that was read on the air on his self-titled ESPN show. The message continued:

“Gonna try and get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”

During an episode of his “New Heights” podcast. that aired shortly after the Super Bowl, Kelce told his brother “I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year,” but admitted that he was hesitant to make any set plans at the time.

“Right now, I’m just kicking everything down the road,” he continued. “I’m not making any crazy decisions, but right now, the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding that there’s a lot goes into this thing.”

Even though he wants to continue playing football, he acknowledged that the sport is creating more “wear and tear” on his body. “It’s a lot of time spent in the building focusing on your craft, focusing on the task at hand, every challenge that you set up for yourself, and that process can be grueling. It can weigh on you,” he said.

“I think that it happens as you kind of tail off toward the back nine of your career … as you see yourself or not feel yourself have the success that you once used to have. Man, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” he continued. “And then on top of that, to not be there in the biggest moments, knowing your team’s counting on you, man … it’s just a tough reality.”

Kelce has received plenty of criticism in the past for the vacations that he has taken with his girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift, instead of training. He and teammate Patrick Mahomes were also seen out on a date on the Friday before the Super Bowl, which frustrated the fans who felt that they should have been practicing instead of going out to dinner.

“I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, then it’s going to be something that is a wholehearted decision; I’m not half-assing it,” Kelce told his brother on his podcast. “I’m fully here for them. I think I can play — whether or not I’m motivated and it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”

It makes sense that Travis Kelce would continue to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, at least for one more season. Although the team faced a disappointing loss and didn’t achieve the historic three-peat, the game, which had been dubbed “boring” by some, isn’t how Kelce wants to be remembered.

The 10-time Pro Bowler has won four championships and has broken over a dozen records during his time with the Chiefs, whom he has played for throughout his entire career. It makes sense that he would want to end on a higher note, whether or not the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl again next year.

Kelce also has his girlfriend to think about. He has said before that the “Lavender Haze” singer loves watching him play. Now that she isn’t traveling the world on her record-breaking Eras Tour, she has time to watch him compete at Arrowhead Stadium.

Despite the chorus of boos that she received at the Super Bowl, there are still fans who show up to game just for a chance at seeing Taylor, and as long as she continues to draw in younger fans to football, it makes sense that Kelce would want to keep playing, especially since the NFL has reportedly amassed almost $1 billion worth of publicity due to their relationship.

My prediction is that he will retire after the next season, regardless of whether or not his relationship with Swift continues. In addition to his highly lucrative “New Heights” podcast, he has also established himself in the entertainment industry with a role in Ryan Murphy’s “Grotesquerie,” a cameo in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore” sequel, and a hosting gig in Amazon Prime’s “Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?”

Some might not even be aware that he serves as an executive producer for “My Dead Friend Zoe,” which stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Gloria Reuben.

So, although Travis Kelce is heading back to Arrowhead Stadium, it won’t be long until he finds his footing in the entertainment industry… if he and Swift don’t settle down and start a family first.