Travis Kelce Says He'd Return for Another Season with the Chiefs 'in a Heartbeat' If This Happened
- - Travis Kelce Says He'd Return for Another Season with the Chiefs 'in a Heartbeat' If This Happened
Rachel McRadyJanuary 8, 2026 at 12:19 AM
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Travis Kelce plays for the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 4 -
Travis Kelce shared his thoughts on retirement on the Jan. 7 episode of his New Heights podcast
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has fueled retirement speculation after the team ended their season on Sunday, Jan. 4
Kelce said he's not ready to make a definitive decision yet
Travis Kelce isn’t ready to reveal his endgame just yet.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 36, danced around the retirement rumors on the Wednesday, Jan. 7, episode of his and his brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast.
After the Chief’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 4, the NFL star’s season is now over.
“It's a tough way to go out, especially with the amount of success and the standard that you hold,” Travis admitted of the loss and the disappointing season.
As for his next steps, the professional athlete plans to enjoy his time off and see how his body recovers from the grueling experience of playing in the NFL.
“I think, yeah, just being a regular human for a couple weeks, maybe a month or so, trying to figure out what I'm gonna do next in terms of my future in football,” Travis said when asked about his next steps. “And I think, you know, I've talked to a few people in the facility already, you know, having the exit meetings and everything, and, they know where I stand at least right now.”
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Travis Kelce runs onto the field with his Kansas City Chiefs teammates on Jan. 4, 2026
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Noting that he still has “a lot of love for the game,” Travis admitted that the retirement decision is “a tough thing to navigate.”
“At the same time, if my body can heal up and rest up and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18, 20, 21-week run, I think, I would do it in a heartbeat."
But the response wasn’t convincing Travis’ older brother, Jason, who said, “I'm confused. So you're not already coming back?” citing Travis’ teammate Chris Jones who said Travis would be returning next season.
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Travis Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025
“That's why we love Chris. He's very optimistic. He's very optimistic,” Travis replied.
But Travis, who announced his engagement to Taylor Swift in August, reiterated that he plans to “take some time” to “get away from the game” and spend “some time with family” before making his decision.
“I'm just trying to figure it all out myself, and I'll do that with the family and friends,” Travis added.
In his 13 years with the Chiefs, Travis has won three Super Bowls, most recently in February 2024. He won his first with the team in 2020, followed by in 2023 when the Chiefs beat his brother Jason's team, the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
