Whether Travis Kelce decides to play in 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs must come to the same conclusion: They have to move onto their next phase.
However, the Chiefs must understand that to move forward, to attempt to reach a fourth consecutive Super Bowl (and sixth in seven years), the offense has to change. It has to go through receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice, with Kelce being nothing more than a component.
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MATT VERDERAME
Matt Verderame is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated covering the NFL. Before joining SI in March 2023, he wrote for wrote for FanSided and Awful Announcing. He hosts The Matt Verderame Show on Patreon and is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association. A proud father of two girls and lover of all Italian food, Verderame is an eternal defender of Rudy, the greatest football movie of all time.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) walks off the field at the end of the first half of Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) walks off the field at the end of the first half of Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.
Akin to another native Ohioan sports superstar, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has finally made his decision: He’s coming back to play for at least one more year in the NFL.
Kelce formally announced his intention to return to the Chiefs on a new episode of New Heights where he fielded some tough, hard-hitting questions from his brother, Jason. Early on in the podcast, Kelce was bluntly asked how big of a factor losing Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles was in his decision-making process.
The 35-year-old called it “probably the biggest factor” and then gave a thoughtful take on his playing future.
“If you would’ve won, would you have come back for another season?” Jason asked Travis.
“I mean it’s a pretty cool way to go out, but I still have this love for the game,” Travis said. “I think I would have thought about it more if we would have won…100% the ending of that game, I feel like I owe the guys that I come into the building with a whole lot more effort and focus. I just don’t know what it was during that game, man. I wasn’t at my best.
“The more that I see clips or watch the film, put myself back into those moments, I’m just like, ‘What the f—?’”
Kelce admitted one mistake he made in the Super Bowl was “unacceptable” but added that he was confident he was playing football for the right reasons this upcoming season.
Kelce, a usual postseason stalwart, finished with just four catches for 39 yards and no touchdowns in the 40-22 blowout loss to the Eagles. Good thing he’ll get one more chance to end his career on a high note—or, at the very least, end it like he wants to.