Travis Kelce Career News Emerges on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 7:56 PM ET

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, 36, has established that he will have no shortage of career options to choose from when he eventually retires from the NFL. His endeavors off the field include opening a restaurant with his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, performing on stage with his fiancee, Taylor Swift, and hosting a $100 million podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce.

Kelce's 13th NFL season ended in a 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, shifting the attention to whether or not the free agent will return for another season in 2026. When asked about his decision after the game, Kelce was still unsure.

"I've got so much love for this team, this organization and the people here," he said heading into the offseason. "I'll spend some time with them, go through exit meetings tomorrow and get close to the family and figure things out."

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) after the game at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Less than a week later, sources told Us Weekly that Kelce is in negotiations for a massive move away from football.

The source claims "discussions are well underway" between the Chiefs star and Netflix to “serve as their exclusive broadcast sports correspondent.” The report emphasized that terms of any potential deal are unconfirmed and "still being finalized."

The bombshell report comes shortly after The Athletic's Andrew Marchand suggested Kelce could be worth $10 to $20 million as a football analyst on television.

It would fall in line with Netflix's aggressive shift toward sports content, which has included broadcasting NFL games on Christmas Day (including Kelce's Chiefs in 2024) over the last two seasons.

MAHOMES & KELCE COZY BOYS #NFLonNetflix pic.twitter.com/u0VbEApMC9
— Netflix (@netflix) December 25, 2024

The company recently acquired rights to popular sports podcasts like Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" and The Ringer's "The Bill Simmons Podcast." Netflix hired ESPN's Elle Duncan as an on-air host for its growing sports coverage, claiming they "signed a major free agent."

It is also worth mentioning that Kelce acted in Adam Sandler's film "Happy Gilmore 2," which was released exclusively on Netflix.

There is a possible outcome where Kelce signing a Netflix deal and returning to the Chiefs in 2026 are not mutually exclusive. He has experience hosting his "New Heights" podcast during the NFL season, even during Super Bowl runs. Kelce could hypothetically appear on a broadcast of a Christmas football game on Netflix if the Chiefs are not playing.

Whatever Kelce decides to do next, people will find a way to watch.

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

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