Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce sets the record straight on his decision to return for a 13th NFL season

Much was made about whether or not Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce would retire during the offseason.

Based off Kelce's comments to the media following Kansas City's mandatory minicamp practice on Wednesday, that the speculation was a bit overblown.

"I love football," Kelce said. "I don't think I really thought about it that much. You know, my friends and family, the team, and the guys and women in this building, I love coming into work every single day. It wasn't a very tough one for me. I know I'm getting older, but at the same time, I still feel like I got a lot that I can prove in this league. And with that being said, man, it really wasn't that hard of a decision for me."

Kelce went on to say that once some time passed from the Chiefs' loss in Super LIX, the passion he has for football started firing up again.

"I really didn't feel like it (Super Bowl LIX) was my last game," Kelce said. "Just felt like I got a lot more to prove, and then I have so much more fun coming into the building. You want to let the emotions die down. That was the biggest thing. You don't want to make decisions off of initial emotions. But for the most part, once they died down, I still felt like I had that fire in my in my chest to be able to keep coming in and building and be better and chase another Super Bowl."

People have been quick to speculate that since Kelce has recently taken on ventures outside of football that his love for the game has diminished. That clearly isn't true, and he made that crystal clear with his comments. All-time greats like Kelce can handle a lot on their plate, and it's possible that he even continues to play beyond the 2025 season.