Travis Kelce Issues Apology After Chiefs' Super Bowl Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Feb 12, 2025 7:31 AM ET

Travis Kelce did not have a good game on Sunday night. When it mattered the most, the Kansas City Chiefs star was unable to step it up and help his team in what was their biggest game of the season.

Ultimately, the Chiefs fell way short against the Philadelphia Eagles, who ended up dominating Super Bowl LIX pretty much from start to finish. After a lopsided affair, the Eagles came out on top, 40-22, and have come home as the new NFL champions.

After a few days of processing the heartbreaking loss, Kelce has now spoken out about the way he failed his team. In Wednesday's episode of his "New Heights" podcast with his brother Jason Kelce, the Chiefs star gave his brutally honest assessment of his performance in the Super Bowl.

"I'm kicking myself for some of the tiny, tiny decisions I made on the field," he said. "I wasn't the best leader that I could be in motivating my guys and keeping my guys calm, cool, collected.

"I put a lot of that on myself as the guy that's been in the building for 12 years and seen a lot of football and seen a situation just like this in the Super Bowl."

"It's a tough pill to swallow," he added.

Kelce finished the game with four receptions for 39 yards, which is far from the level of production that fans have come to expect from the All-Pro tight end.

Kelce himself admits that he fell short of his own high standards, which is why he has decided to issue an apology to Chiefs fans.

"I love my teammates, I love my coaches," he said. "Chiefs Kingdom, I'm sorry for how it ended.

"... I wish things would have went different. I wish I would have made better decisions early on and helped my guy Pat (Mahomes) out and helped my team find that momentum or that confidence.

"But I just have to tip my hat to the Eagles."

After a few days to process it, Travis reflected on Super Bowl LIX

Our Super Bowl recap episode premieres at 9:30am ET pic.twitter.com/dxhcSlvWS1
— New Heights (@newheightshow) February 12, 2025

In the same "New Heights" episode, Kelce revealed that he hasn't made a decision yet on whether or not he's going to retire. He said that he plans "to take some time to figure it out."

If Super Bowl LIX was, indeed, Kelce's final game, then congratulations are in order for one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the sport.

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

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