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Travis Kelce’s Subtle Move After Chiefs’ Loss Has Fans Thinking He’s Ready to Retire

Kristen Wong

Cameras caught Travis Kelce sadly walking back to the locker room after Sunday's loss to the Texans.
Cameras caught Travis Kelce sadly walking back to the locker room after Sunday's loss to the Texans. / Screengrab on Twitter/ @McKenzieMNelson
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Sunday night marked the end of an era for Travis Kelce and the Chiefs, whose decadent run of nine straight AFC West titles will come to an end after their bitter loss to the Texans.

In a game in which the Chiefs' playoff hopes were on the line, Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and several other members of the team did not deliver. Mahomes finished with three picks and a career-worst 42.4% completion percentage and 19.8 passer rating. Kelce had just one catch and dropped the ball on what might have been the most pivotal play of the game, leading to Mahomes's third pick late in the fourth quarter. Even coach Andy Reid didn't make the right decisions when it mattered most.

With the Chiefs on the cusp of their first missed postseason berth in a decade, Kelce in particular looked the part of a defeated man on the sidelines. He was seen deep in thought on the bench following his big drop, and then when the final whistle blew, he refused to take off his helmet.

Many fans drew parallels to Kelce's sad moment and that of his older brother, Jason, in his last game for the Eagles in January 2024:

Here's a look at Kelce's sad walk from the field, with his helmet still on:

Kelce kept his helmet on all the way to the Chiefs' locker room, and even then he reportedly remained in full uniform for several minutes as he stared at the ground.

Is this the end of the road for the Chiefs tight end? No one really knows, given that Kelce declined to make himself available to the media following the loss.

What Travis Kelce Has Said About His Potential NFL Retirement

As rumors swirled over the summer around Kelce's future in the NFL, the Chiefs tight end vowed after February's Super Bowl blowout loss to the Eagles that he would be back on the field for the 2025 season.

"Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can't go out like that!!!!" Kelce allegedly texted Pat McAfee.

In the months since then, the 36-year-old has made only generalized statements about his future with the Chiefs.

"It's the last [year] on the contract right now." Kelce said before the Chiefs' season-opener in September. "But I'll tell you what: I'm feeling young, and I'm feeling ready to rock, baby."

In October, when Kelce made history by hauling in his 100th career touchdown catch, the Chiefs star again weighed in on his potential retirement.

"We're cherishing every single one of these games, not knowing how long we'll be able to do this," said Kelce.

The truth is, neither his teammates nor his coach likely know for certain what Kelce aims to do after this disappointing 13th campaign in Kansas City, assuming the Chiefs miss out on the playoffs (they only have a 16% chance of getting in now). What we do reportedly know is that Kelce has a wedding date with Taylor Swift set for June 2026—whether he'll still be an active NFL player by then remains to be seen.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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