Legendary NFL Player Spoiled Travis Kelce's Retirement Plans

Nov 27, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) warms up prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images&period;

Legendary NFL Player Spoiled Travis Kelce's Retirement Plans

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jul 23, 2026 3:08 PM ET

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Will the 2026 NFL season be Travis Kelce's last with the Kansas City Chiefs? That'll be a popular question throughout this fall.

Kelce, 36, has already built a career that's worthy of a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former third-round pick from Cincinnati is an 11-time Pro Bowler with three Super Bowl rings and a handful of NFL records, including most career postseason receptions.

While there's no question Kelce has slowed down just a bit, he's coming off a 2025 season where he hauled in 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns. His production earned him a contract for the 2026 season that reportedly has a maximum value of $15 million.

Despite all the rumors about the 2025 season potentially being Kelce's last ride, the Chiefs were never worried about him potentially retiring.

“We played our last game of the season in Vegas last year, and when we got back we have player meetings and exit interviews. It was a cool deal where Trav came in and he basically said ‘I’m going to take a few weeks off here, but I’m not going out like this, let’s stay in touch and let’s figure something out.’ We certainly knew ahead of time,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said, via Pro Football Talk. “While free agency and there was still some questions in the air on whether or not he’d return, we knew basically the day after our last game. He made it known to coach Reid and to me that there was no way he was going out like this.”

Will this be Kelce's final season?

Interestingly enough, Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter shared a photo of him and Kelce working out this week. His caption suggested that Kelce is retiring after the 2026 season.

"Know the goat is preparing for THE LAST DANCE," Carter wrote. "Next stop Canton/HOF."

Even though Carter was showing respect to Kelce, he received some backlash for his "last dance" remark.

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"Can Travis be allowed to announce his own retirement, please? Everything about him makes headlines. Are you saying this for attention?" one fan replied. "He's always said he doesn't want a farewell tour or the focus to be on him during the season."

"Oh my goodness this just made me start to cry when I read the words the last dance," a second fan commented. "I hope and pray that Travis has one of the best years he’s ever head as his swan song."

"Let the athlete handle their own announcements," another fan said.

With training camp set to begin on July 28, it won't be long before Kelce faces questions about his future.

If we had to guess, Kelce will try to steer the conversation in a different direction. After all, he doesn't want to cause any distractions this fall.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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