Despised Raiders Nemesis Will Soon Pack His Bags

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports recently listed the veterans who could be entering their final season in the NFL. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was on the list, as the veteran contemplated retirement earlier this offseason and is undoubtedly on the backend of his career.

This is good news for the Raiders. Kelce has registered 12 touchdowns with 1,582 yards, on 128 catches in 22 meetings against the Silver and Black.

"Kelce seemed to seriously consider walking away after last season in the aftermath of Kansas City's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Had that game gone in a different direction and the Chiefs pulled off the historic three-peat, it's conceivable (if not likely) that Kelce would have opted to ride off into the sunset as a champion," Sullivan said.

"Instead, Kelce decided to come back for what will be the 35-year-old's 13th season in the league. Beyond this season, however, is a major question. Kelce isn't even under contract after 2025, but did recently seem to hint his intentions to play beyond this year, saying, "We'll try and figure out something for next year.

"Still, if the Chiefs get back to the Super Bowl and hoist yet another Lombardi Trophy, that could be the stage for Kelce to call it a career. Even without a championship in 2025, it feels entirely possible this is it for the all-time tight end."

At the NFL Combine, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll credited Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid for displaying incredible consistancy. Still, Carroll is excited for the opportunity to coach against Reid and the rest of the division.

"It's been fantastic to watch Andy [Reid] do it, the consistency that he's shown. I love consistency, when people can particularly stay on top for a long time. Man, he's just done all of that. Unfortunately, they didn't wind up with this game, but that's not to take away anything of what they've established there," Carroll said.

"Our division is loaded, I mean Jimmy Harbaugh, man. I'm going to be talking to Jim today, I'm going to be chasing him around here somewhere later today, check out what he's doing. Sean [Payton] in Denver, this is a really competitive mentality that I hope we can affect somewhat, but I'm really excited about all this."

Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and talk to us in 2025 about everything Kelce!

While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss all Raiders content in 2025 and so much more.