Travis Kelce sounds very, very ready to take care of business—for at least as many as three more postseason games with the Kansas City Chiefs. As for any football life beyond that, that much is unclear.
The Chiefs All-Pro tight end and future Hall of Famer is certainly in the twilight of his esteemed career, but this season he's proven to have plenty left in the tank. He also has another year remaining on his contract while still seeming to enjoy being a part of this historic dynasty with teammates like Patrick Mahomes and a head coach like Andy Reid.
That said, Kelce's numbers have declined slightly this season and it's clear the Chiefs have invested in a future beyond Kelce at the position with the draft selection of Jared Wiley and the extension for Noah Gray before the season began. Given that Kelce also has plenty of interests and opportunities away from the game to keep him busy, the questions about his playing days are natural.
Travis Kelce opened up about his future in an interview with Stephen A. Smith.
In a recent interview with Stephen A. Smith, Kelce opened up about life after football and began to give some definition as to how he will make a decision concerning his future—as well as his concerns about a game in decline.
When pressed by Smith about whether or not he'll return to keep the wheels moving for the Chiefs' offense, Kelce admitted that it's hard to arrive at a permanent decision about such a significant shift.
"It changes every single day, man," said Kelce. "I love everything I’m doing in this building, but every day, I’m not having that extreme success as I’ve had on the field individually. I’m excited for these next couple of games—the playoffs at Arrowhead to finish this season off. Then I’ll reevaluate it like I always do.
"I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing and I’ll come back next year," he continued, "but it’s something you have to keep in perspective. I never want to get to the point where I’m not helping this team win or I’m hurting this team more than I’m helping this team. So as long as I’m playing good football and enjoying coming into the building every day with my guys, we’ll see you in a Chiefs uniform for sure."
Kelce had 97 receptions this season, which demonstrates his ongoing importance to the Chiefs' offense and chemistry with Mahomes, but with 823 yards and 3 touchdowns, it's also clear that Kelce is not as dominant in 2024 as he's been in previous seasons. Smith went on to question Kelce about what he meant by hurting the team and the Chiefs tight end surprised with a very real answer.
"Some of the most fun you ever have in this game is having the ball in your hands," said Kelce. "That being said, making guys miss was something I always prided myself on. That was the staple, you know? I made the play more than it was supposed to get. So if I got a deep cross at 18 yards, I’m not just catching the ball and getting tackled. I’m turning that gain into a 20-, 30-, 40-plus plus yard gain.
"Over the past years, being able to make guys miss has gotten a little bit tougher, whether or not they just know my moves and I’ve gotta switch it up or I gotta break through tackles or find another way to trick them so I can make them miss. That’s the biggest thing is being able to make guys miss in space and getting those extra yards that aren’t necessarily in the scheme of the play."
You can watch the entire interview below:
