Chiefs Put the Pressure on Travis Kelce: Deadline Set for Legendary Tight End’s Retirement Decision
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t secure a third straight championship, falling to Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX.
Kelce, 35, finished the game with four catches for 39 yards. However, he didn’t do much in the first half, recording zero catches. In fact, the whole Chiefs team couldn’t get much going in the first two quarters, giving up a 24-0 deficit going into halftime.
Following the season, rumors of Kelce’s retirement have started to heat up. It is unclear whether the former Cincinnati Bearcats tight end will call it quits, but he has made it known that it will be a tough decision for him.
“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year,” Kelce said on his podcast “New Heights.” “Right now, I’m just kicking everything down the road,” Kelce said. “I’m kicking every can that I can down the road. I’m not making any crazy decisions, but right now, the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding that there’s a lot that goes into this thing.
But the Chiefs don’t want to wait that long for Kelce to make his retirement decision. On Thursday, The Athletic’s Nate Taylor reported that Kansas City has given Kelce a deadline of March 14-15 to make his big career move.
“Emotionally, I know people have said it,” Taylor said on 96.5 The Fan. “[Kelce] sounds very exhausted and so the Chiefs are going to give him essentially a month. They would like to know sometime by March 14th, 15th. That’s kind of like the deadline.”
Taylor went on to mention why Kelce would be considering retirement in the middle of the Kansas City dynasty.
“I don’t know if he wants to go out, particularly on that note, but I understand,” Taylor added. “He’s gotten to the point now in his career where you may do everything right training-wise, practice-wise. Getting the right amount of treatment. Mentally being clear, and if your body just doesn’t respond, what are you supposed to do?”
Kelce finished the season with 97 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns, his worst statistical output since 2015. Yet, if he does return, he could try to ride off into the sunset with a Super Bowl run.
