Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates finished their 2024 season. Sadly, they lost in Super Bowl 59 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
A blow out was not what Chiefs Kingdom expected–and this unexpected outcome has Chiefs Kingdom reeling.
Now, the biggest question going into the offseason is whether Travis Kelce will retire or play another season.
We don’t know if Kelce played his last game or is returning for the 2025 season.
I think the answer is Yes.
You want a fresh sports take? I’m going to provide one here that is certainly different than the either/or predictions everyone appears to be making.
I think the answer is Yes.
My prediction: Travis Kelce will retire and play next season. Both answers are correct.
How is this possible?
Let me predict a crazy yet plausible scenario: Travis Kelce will announce he’s retiring. That may occur quickly (mid March) or he may wait until July. I’m not sure when this will occur, but I think it will.
Two days ago, Kelce said things on his podcast, indicating he’s leaning towards retirement. Look closely at his words and you tell me if he sounds close to retirement or can’t wait to come back for OTAs.
[From the Show Transcript]:
Travis: “I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year and right now I’m just kicking everything down the road I’m kicking every can I can down the road and not making any crazy decisions but I right now the the biggest thing is just um being there for uh my teammates and um being there for my coaches understanding you know that there’s a lot that goes into this thing you know I’ve uh I’ve been fortunate over the past five six years I’ve played more football than anybody yeah and it’s it’s because the people that are in that building and um the fact that we keep going to these AFC championships and these super bowls and um that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league and that’s a lot of wear and tear on your body and it’s a lot it’s a lot of time spent in the building uh focusing on your crafts focusing on the task at hand every challenge that you set up for yourself um and it’s uh that process can be grueling it can it can weigh on you it can it can it can make you better and it can drive you crazy at the same time and right now now it’s one of those things where it was kind of driving me crazy this year um and I think that uh it happens as you as you kind of tail off uh towards the the back nine of your career as a SVP would say is you know it’s as you see yourself or not feel yourself have the success that you once used to have man it’s um it’s a tough pill to swallow and then on top of that to not be there uh in the biggest moments um knowing your team’s counting on you man uh that’s uh those those are all extremely hard things to uh it’s just a tough reality and um you know I think uh I’m going to take some time to figure it out and um I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back uh that it’s going to be something that um it’s a wholehearted decision I’m not half-assing it and I’m I’m fully here for them and uh I think uh I think I could play it’s just uh whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man as a human as a as a person to um to take on all that responsibility.”
Look–Kelce is 35 years old now. I believe him when he talks about the physical toll on his body. Nobody is denying that’s his reality.
This is why I predict that Travis Kelce will announce his retirement before training camp. That is the last thing someone in Kelce’s cleats is wanting to do at this point in their career–training camp is for young players still proving themselves. Not future Hall of Fame players who know how to stay in shape on their own and be ready to play at a moment’s notice.
This is why my prediction includes a Kelce comeback:
Sometime during the second half of the KC Chiefs 2025 season–Travis Kelce will come out of retirement and rejoin the Chiefs.
This will partly hinge on the Chiefs record and their chances of making the playoffs. Despite Kelce being “gone,” I do expect the Chiefs to be leading their division and in great shape to make the playoffs next November/December. If the Chiefs do happen to take a dip and are not in playoff contention, then I don’t think Kelce will come out of retirement.
But we’re all pretty confident the Chiefs will be in the postseason mix next year. There’s no reason not to think so.
That’s my prediction: Travis Kelce will announce he’s retiring sometime before training camp–and will come out of retirement sometime during the second half of the Chiefs 2025 season.
That way, Kelce’s body gets the rest he needs, enabling Kelce to play much better in the Chiefs next Super Bowl run in January, 2026.
What do you think? Let me know your predictions in the comments.
