In November 2023, Travis Kelce made an omission to the Wall Street Journal: he thinks of retirement “more than anybody might ever think of”.
After catching numerous injuries and having 10 surgical treatments in his 12-year profession, the discomfort, he stated, was ending up being excessive to bear.
Football fans continued to hypothesize over Kelce’s future after the 35-year-old tight end sustained retirement reports last month, confessing to sports reporter Stephen A Smith that his viewpoint on the matter “modifications each and every single day”.
With the Kansas City Chiefs reaching their 5th Super Bowl last in 6 years sports fans, had actually hypothesized that after sealing his location in the history books Kelce might have chosen to bail out in a blaze of magnificence.
However the football star’s hopes of belonging of the very first NFL group in history to three-peat as champs were rushed, as the Chiefs were whipped 40-22 by the Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday.
If it was the last video game of Kelce’s profession, it wasn’t a quite one.
In the very first half, Kelce didn’t capture a hand down 2 targets while Patrick Mahomes, his friend and the Chiefs’ quarterback, had a passer score of simply 10.7– on track to be the fourth-worst by a beginning quarterback in Super Bowl history.
Although it marked the least backyards (39) in any of his Super Bowl looks, Kelce did exceed Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most catches in Super Bowl history (35) in the losing effort.
” We have not played that bad all year,” Kelce informed press reporters at his locker. “Turnovers, charges, playing behind the sticks on offense. Dropped passes, not benefiting from the play calls and carrying out.”
It was likewise a difficult night for Kelce’s Pennslyvania-born sweetheart Taylor Swift who, before kick-off, dealt with boos by Eagles fans upon being brightened on the cinema, while President Donald Trump got raucous applause.
Kelce is coming off the back of profession lows considering that his 2013 novice season of 823 getting backyards and 3 goal catches throughout the routine season.
After the video game, Kelce strolled down to the high-end 400-level suites where Swift and his household cheered him on throughout the video game.
The 10-time Pro Bowler chosen not to resolve his retirement, nor make a look in the post-game interview space.
Rather, his colleague, Patrick Mahomes, stated that Kelce would “invest a long time with his household and make that choice on his own.”
” He’s provided a lot to this group and to the NFL,” the three-time Super Bowl MVP informed press reporters. “He has a great deal of football left in him. You can see it. He constantly makes plays in the greatest minutes, however it’s if he wishes to put in that grind.
If Kelce does choose to hang up his cleats, Mahomes stated he will be invited back with “open arms”.
” He understands he’ll return here with open arms. We enjoy that guy not just for the football gamer however for who he is each and every single day.”
On Super Bowl LIX Opening Night last Monday, Kelce provided another puzzling idea into where his future lies.
” Ideally still playing football. I enjoy doing this. I enjoy entering into work every day. I seem like I still got a great deal of great football left in me,” he informed press reporters throughout Super Bowl LIX Opening night last Monday.
Minutes later on, Kelce included: “We’ll see what takes place. I understand I have actually been setting myself up for other chances in my life. That’s constantly been the objective, understanding that football just lasts for so long.”
Kelce is anticipated to validate his future by the start of the NFL’s totally free company on March 12.