Is Travis Kelce Going To Retire? NFL Insider Provides Update on Chiefs Superstar’s Future

“Kelce, who is in the conversation for greatest tight end to ever play in the NFL, is expected to take time after the Super Bowl to consider his future and make a decision before free agency, which officially begins March 12.

“Sources informed of his thinking say Kelce’s decision could hinge on the results of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.”

#Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce has said he’s got a lot of good football left. Yet whether he plays in 2025 is very much up in the air.
 
Sources say Kelce is undecided about his future, and Sunday’s result could affect it. My story: https://t.co/GcxaqikEHbhttps://t.co/GcxaqikEHb

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 9, 2025

Kelce has discussed this past week whether or not he plans to shut it down, and it appears, at least for now, he has no plans to retire.

Kelce told The Athletic, “I want to play as long as I can play.”

Whether or not he retires may also depend on if the Chiefs win their third Super Bowl in a row and his relationship with girlfriend Taylor Swift, to whom many feel that Kelce is about to propose to soon after the season wraps up.

If Kelce were to win yet another Super Bowl, he would have nothing else to prove unless he just wants to pull a Tom Brady and win a Super Bowl in another city. Yet, that sounds highly unlikely, as Kelce has also made it clear he wants to return to Kansas City if he continues to play.

The factor may be his relationship with Swift, whom Kelce says supports whatever he decides to do.

“She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game,” Kelce told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. “She loves coming to Arrowhead and coming to the games and cheering for me, so I have all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams.”

The pair were seen out this past week with Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany on a double date while in New Orleans for the Super Bowl.

Whether or not Kelce retires, don’t expect an announcement right after the game. Recently, the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford, who also had retirement rumors swirling around him following the divisional-round loss to the Eagles, announced a few days later that he’d continue playing in 2025.

Kelce has been Mahomes’ favorite target over the years, and if he were to retire, he would be sorely missed. However, his legacy as one of the greatest to ever play the game will be etched in stone.

Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl Preview

Based on PFN’s win probability model, which ran 10,000 simulations via the PFN Playoff Predictor, the Eagles have a 52.8% chance of defeating the Chiefs.

The Chiefs are aiming to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. Kansas City has won three of the last five Super Bowls and will be the first NFL team to play in five Super Bowls over a six-season span.

This is Philadelphia’s third Super Bowl appearance in the last eight seasons. The Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII and lost to the Chiefs two seasons ago in Super Bowl LVII.

Kansas City Chiefs Trends and Insights

• The Chiefs have 17 straight one-score wins (12-0 this season, their last three playoff games last year, and their last two regular season games). Twelve one-score wins is the most in a single season all-time, tied with the 2022 Vikings, 2019 Seahawks, and 2015 Broncos.
• Patrick Mahomes passed Joe Montana for the second-most playoff wins by a starting quarterback (17) and John Elway for the second-most playoff game-winning drives by a quarterback (seven).
• From 2019-24, the Chiefs have made six Super Bowl appearances, are chasing a fourth title, and have won 78% of their regular season games. For reference, the Splash Brother Golden State Warriors (2015-19, 2022) made six NBA Finals appearances with four titles and won 76.2% of their regular season games.
• The Chiefs have averaged over 2.5 points per offensive drive in four straight games when playing their regulars – that’s a good formula, as NFL teams have won 78.9% of their games this season when clearing 2.50 PPD.
• During his career, Mahomes has averaged 3.9 carries for 20 yards and 0.13 touchdowns on the ground during the regular season. In the postseason, those rates elevated to 5.4 attempts, 29.1 yards, and 0.35 touchdowns per game.

Philadelphia Eagles Trends and Insights

• The Eagles peaked early last season and scored 155 points over a five-game win streak (Weeks 7-12). Over their past five games, they’ve scored 166 points.
• Jalen Hurts ran for three scores in his prior Super Bowl experience, joining Terrell Davis as the only player to do that in The Big Game. With his three rushing scores on Sunday, Hurts joined LeGarrette Blount as the only players in NFL history with multiple playoff games in which they ran for three-plus touchdowns.
• Philadelphia has forced 19 turnovers in their past six games, a run that includes four games with three-plus.
• The Eagles became the sixth team to have multiple players rush for multiple scores in a playoff game, the first since Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel did it for the 2018 Patriots.
• Since 2022, the Eagles are 18-8 ATS (69.2%) when facing a team that enters play with at least as many wins as losses (second best, trailing only the 20-6-1 Lions).
• Hurts will become the eighth quarterback to start multiple Super Bowls within his first eight seasons. Of the previous seven, only Elway failed to secure a ring within his first five seasons—though Elway would famously cap off his career with Super Bowl victories in his final two seasons.