Rob Gronkowski Predicts Travis Kelce’s Retirement Decision on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Dec 18, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention with three games to go.

They stand at 6-8 and will finish the season with Gardner Minshew under center after the torn ACL and LCL suffered by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

With the Chiefs' 10-year playoff streak coming to an end, there have been questions about star tight end Travis Kelce's future in the NFL.

He contemplated retirement last offseason but decided to come back for a 13th season.

And so far, Kelce has recorded 797 receiving yards and five touchdowns. That may be good but not by Kelce's standards.

Recently, Kelce spoke about the decline in his play on his podcast, "New Heights."

“You put in all this [expletive] work and hope that it pays off,” Kelce said. “And right now, it’s just for whatever [expletive] reason, man, it’s little things. I feel like I’ve always had the answers in years past. And this year, I just can’t find them.”

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87).Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Could these be the final three games of Kelce's career? Legendary NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski shared his thoughts.

“My gut tells me about Travis Kelce is that he will not be back next year,” Gronkowski, now a Fox Sports analyst, said on the “Up & Adams Show.” “He's had a significant career."

Gronkowski pointed out how Kelce is still having a great season.

"And let me tell you this, he has had an excellent year once again this year," Gronkowski said. "He is a top tight end in the NFL. I mean, I'm not sure exactly what his stats are, but I know he's producing. And if any team can get the type of production that he's having this year, I mean, I'm talking like 25 other teams would take him in a heartbeat, especially with that production that he's having. I mean, he's getting first downs, he's moving the chains, but we're just so used to Travis Kelce playing at such a high level that he has been doing his whole entire career that now Father Time has gotten to him a little bit. So now we're all wondering, oh man, what happened? Well, that's just Father Time. He's still a very good tight end. But in the end overall, where the Kansas City Chiefs are, with Patrick Mahomes getting hurt, with everything else that's going on in Travis Kelce’s life, I think this is his last year and what a heck of a career he has had, no doubt about that.”

"My gut tells me [Travis Kelce] will not be back next year"

– Gronk on the Chiefs TE's future in the NFL@RobGronkowski | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/z8ToqnipwA
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) December 18, 2025

The Chiefs selected Kelce in the third round of the 2013 draft. He is arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history and is a three-time Super Bowl champion, four-time first-team All-Pro selection and 10-time Pro Bowler.

The Chiefs visit the Tennessee Titans (2-12) at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on CBS.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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