Is Travis Kelce Retiring? Big-Name TE Already Proposed As Chiefs Star’s Replacement

Kristen Wong | 4 Hours Ago

Chiefs star Travis Kelce could have played his last meaningful game of his career in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

As the clock struck zero in the Chiefs' loss to the Chargers on Sunday afternoon, the team was left with more questions than answers about their star players following their lost season. How long will it take Patrick Mahomes to recover from his ACL tear? And is Travis Kelce retiring?

Mahomes's future in Kansas City is pretty much set in stone, with the Chiefs star quarterback set to face a long and arduous rehab journey after getting injured late in Sunday's 16-13 loss. However, his longtime trusty target, Travis Kelce, doesn't have as clear of a future with the team, and rumors continue to swirl surrounding the 36-year-old's potential NFL retirement.

Kelce declined to speak to the media Sunday and hasn't discussed his future since early in the season, when the Chiefs were still viewed as Super Bowl contenders. If Kelce truly has played his last meaningful game in K.C.—the Chiefs have three more games, but Kelce and other starters might end up sitting on the bench—then Brett Veach and the front office may have to think about ways to replace the all-time great.

The Athletic's Ted Nguyen already has an idea of who the Chiefs could pursue, and it's quite the intriguing option. Nguyen wrote:

"With Mahomes hurt, it should be an even bigger sign that they need to take the load off him in the future. On a side note, if Kelce retires, it would be cool to replace him with Kyle Pitts, who could be a free agent if the Atlanta Falcons don’t franchise tag him."

The tight end position probably isn't Kansas City's biggest concern heading into 2026, what with their uninspiring run game and beaten-up offensive line, but it no doubt would be "cool" to see Kyle Pitts in a red Chiefs jersey next fall.

Pitts, 25, is set to be a free agent this offseason assuming he doesn't sign an extension with the Falcons. The big-bodied tight end and former first-round pick has put up his best numbers since his breakout rookie season in 2021, hauling in 73 catches for 797 yards and four touchdowns across 14 games this year. He's coming off a historic outing against the Buccaneers in which he logged 166 yards and caught three touchdowns, marking his first 100-yard receiving game in nearly half a decade.

It's still too early to say whether Kelce is on his way out of Kansas City, and there's no telling if Pitts would mesh well in the Mahomes-led offense or if the Chiefs are willing to bid for him in the first place. Perhaps Kelce will shed more light on his future in Wednesday's upcoming episode of his podcast.

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