Travis Kelce has just one month to let the Kansas City Chiefs know if he’s retiring or not.
The organization has given the tight end until March 14 to make up his mind about continuing his football career with the Chiefs or hanging up his jersey for good, a team source told the Athletic in an article published Thursday.
The Chiefs are reportedly hoping that Kelce, 35, decides to continue with the team for the 2025-2026 NFL season.
The athlete’s current contract runs into next season and includes an $11.5 million roster bonus, which is due March 15, Over The Cap reported, and the NFL’s free agency period kicks off March 10.
The harsh deadline comes just days after Kelce’s latest career blow when the Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 2025 with a crushing score of 40-22.
Kelce addressed speculation that he would be stepping away from the sport on his “New Heights” podcast this week, telling fans, “I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year.”
“Right now, I’m just kicking everything down the road,” he continued. “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.”
Kelce added that he has suffered a lot of “wear and tear” on his body and the time he has focused on his craft over the years has been a “grueling” process.”
“I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back then it’s going to be something that is a wholehearted decision; I’m not half-assing it,” he said. “I’m fully here for them. I think I can play — whether or not I’m motivated and it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”
Like his other teammates, Kelce had a slow start in the championship game Feb. 9, with four receptions on six targets for 39 yards coming in the second half — the first time in his career he was held without a reception in the first half of a playoff game, according to the Athletic.
Kelce was seen looking heartbroken after the devastating loss as he made his way to girlfriend Taylor Swift’s suite at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
A source told Page Six that Swift, who has become a major fixture in the franchise since they started dating in summer 2023, has been a huge comfort for Kelce.
“Taylor knows Travis took this loss very hard but she couldn’t be more proud of him regardless of the outcome,” the insider said.
The source added that the singer “knows how hard” Kelce has “worked all season and was thrilled to be at the Super Bowl to show her support.”
A relationship expert exclusively told Page Six that Kelce’s latest loss could be a good thing for his relationship.
“Things were almost too perfect for them, and to be humbled in life, as an individual and as a couple, is a beautiful thing and I believe it will make them stronger,” licensed relationship therapist Jaime Bronstein told us earlier this week.
Kelce has already had one of the most impressive careers as a receiving tight end in NFL history.
In 2013, he was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the draft and has since gone on to help lead his team to win three Super Bowls in 2020, 2023 and 2024.
While he holds the records for most consecutive and most overall seasons with 1,0000 receiving yards by a tight end at an impressive seven and most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season with 1,416 in 2020, it’s no secret Kelce has had his eyes set on projects outside of sports.
Kelce made his acting debut in the 2024 thriller series “Grotesquerie” and hosts the game show, “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” He also co-hosts his popular Wondery+ podcast with his older brother, Jason Kelce, who retired from his 13-year NFL career with the Eagles last March.
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