With their playoff hopes crushed and quarterback Patrick Mahomes lost for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, the Kansas City Chiefs are in an unfamiliar position after winning the last three AFC titles. With Mahomes out of action and nothing left to add to his illustrious resume, it seems even more likely that veteran tight end Travis Kelce will retire following the 2025 season.
Even if that is the case, though, Kelce is not going to let the lost season and frustrations that have come with it stop him from finishing everything out, beginning with Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans.
"It's integrity. I signed up to be a Kansas City Chief," Kelce said, per Sam McDowell, sports columnist for The Kansas City Star. "I've been dreaming of playing in the NFL since I was a kid. Getting back to that (mentality) will give you all the motivation you need..."
While Kelce's separate comments earlier this week on the "New Heights" podcast only add to the retirement rumors, it is clear he is intent on finishing out the 2025 season, even if there is no playoff spot to play for and a banged-up roster surrounding him.
Travis Kelce is Not Letting Playoff Elimination Keep Him off the Field
As uncharacteristic as the 2025 season has been for the Chiefs, Kelce has still put up respectable numbers. According to Pro Football Focus, the 36-year-old has the 10th-best overall grade (74.7) out of 37 qualified TEs to go along with the second-most receiving yards (797) and the eighth-most TDs (five). He leads Kansas City's receivers in targets (92) and has topped 60 receiving yards seven times, continuing to be a reliable option for Mahomes down the field.
It has been clear at times, though, that Kelce is missing a step compared to his earlier years. He has not been nearly as explosive as fans have grown accustomed to seeing, and his drops have been a major issue, including a costly one late in the Week 14 loss to the Houston Texans that led to an interception and was immediately followed by a game-sealing field goal from Houston.
With receivers Rashee Rice (concussion) and Tyquan Thornton (concussion) both listed as out for Sunday's game, and the potential for some players to get an unexpected opportunity in light of the injuries, Kelce could easily approach this situation differently and let the frustration and disappointment fully set in and overcome him.
Instead, the three-time Super Bowl champion, 10-time Pro Bowler, and seven-time All-Pro has made it clear that he is not going down that route, but rather putting it all out on the field for the final three games of the season and most likely, the final three games of his storied career.
Kelce ranks third all-time in receiving yards by a TE (12,948), per StatMuse, only trailing Hall of Famers Tony Gonzalez (15,127) and Jason Witten (13,046). He clearly has nothing left to prove, and all signs certainly point to him calling it a career following the 2025 season. However, that is not stopping him from finishing out the disappointing season and continuing to live out his childhood dream, regardless of the position the Chiefs are in.