Chiefs' Travis Kelce names 'biggest factor' for return, retirement decision

Following weeks of "will he or won't he?" speculation regarding his future, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce confirmed last week he will play another season rather than retire. 

During the latest edition of his "New Heights" podcast, Kelce acknowledged that Kansas City's Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last month "was probably the biggest factor" in his decision to run it back with the Chiefs.

"I mean, it's a pretty cool way to go out, but I just think I would still have this love for the game. ... I think I would have thought about it more if we would've won," Kelce explained, as shared by Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. 

Kelce caught just four of six targets for 39 yards against the Eagles and then suggested after the loss that he could retire due to the "wear and tear" on his body. After it was learned during the NFL Scouting Combine that Kelce will give the Chiefs at least one more campaign as an active player, analysts and reporters noted that he could have more of a reduced role in Kansas City's offense during future regular-season games. 

"I love playing," Kelce said during the podcast. "I still feel like I can play it at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don't think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them, especially if you look at my track record and how I've been in years past. I want to give it a good run. I got a bad taste in my mouth in how I ended last year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was to the people around me."

Kelce reportedly stepped up as a locker-room leader over the past year, but his 823 receiving yards and three touchdown catches were career lows outside of when he appeared in just one game as a rookie during the 2013 season. 

Some assume Kelce will call time on his career next winter, but he insisted during the episode that he "can't say whether or not this is going to be the last year" before he fully embraces his numerous off-the-field business opportunities. 

"I love so many people in Kansas City, both in that facility, in the community, and it's home for me now. I don't want to leave that life yet," Kelce added. "I put in a lot of hard work and I put in a lot of focus into being the best that I can for K.C. Last year, it didn't end well for us. I just feel like there's a responsibility in me to play out the contract that I initially signed, to give Kansas City and the Chiefs organization everything that I've got, and that's what I'm going to do."

Whether or not Kelce will announce before September that the 2025 season will be his "Last Dance" with the Chiefs shall be seen.