1 Pro and Con of Travis Kelce Retiring After 2025 Season

Well, that's a wrap on the 2025 NFL season for the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, the team and its fans can only watch from home as the playoff field competes for Super Bowl LX. The Chiefs have a long offseason ahead of them, with plenty of time to reflect on what went wrong to cause a roster that was expected to be a title contender to be eliminated from the playoffs after Week 14.

KC can't blame it on injuries. Even if Patrick Mahomes didn't tear his ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers, they very well could have still been dropped to 6-8 and postseason irrelevancy in that game. It's probably a good thing that the Chiefs didn't sneak into the playoffs this year, so they can't pretend that this team had enough talent to compete for another title. Now, they have to figure out what to do with the roster to return to Super Bowl contention. A big part of it hinges on Travis Kelce's future.

Travis Kelce could determine the Chiefs' future

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs, NFL, Arizona Cardinals — Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Con: No chance for redemption

It wasn't supposed to go like this. Travis Kelce proposed to Taylor Swift just before the 2025 NFL season began. The pop megastar was going to add another ring to her collection, and not just the wedding band, either. Instead, Kelce had to experience the losingest season of his career in what could turn out to be his last year in the league.

He didn't even get a proper send-off. The legendary tight end was able to climb the ranks this season, becoming the first at his position to tally 12 campaigns with 800 or more receiving yards, the fastest TE to hit 13,000 receiving yards total, and tying Tim Brown for the most consecutive years with 75+ catches at 10. But, if this season proves to be his last, he'll have ended his career on a six-game losing streak, with three of those contests turning out to be completely meaningless, and without Patrick Mahomes throwing to him. Kelce has to want better than that.

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs, NFL, Denver Broncos — Nov 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and tight end Robert Tonyan (85) in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Pro: Chiefs can move on

While Kelce ended his season on three miserable games running routes for Gardner Minshew II, Chris Oladokun, and Shane Buechele, he wasn't exactly lighting it up with Patrick Mahomes this year, either. In fact, 2025 was just the latest edition of a trilogical skid for him. Part of the reason the Kansas City Chiefs struggled so heavily this season was that Kelce couldn't step up for the offense when it needed him the most.

Noah Gray wasn't any more impactful in his limited snaps this year. The reality is, KC needs more offensive firepower alongside Mahomes. Aside from Rashee Rice, who spent the first six games on suspension, everyone else disappointed, and the Chiefs paid for it. So long as Kelce is on this team, though, Kansas City will continue to rely on his connection with Mahomes, for better or worse. If he does end up retiring, it would motivate this franchise to add a new tight end, and one that would likely be more effective next season.

To see if Travis Kelce ends up retiring, sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW.

Chiefs Kingdom, OnSI welcomes you to the Internet’s No. 1 destination for in-depth info, always free; the best way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI, @ZakSGilbert and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And join the conversation by visiting our Facebook page (here).