There have been rumors floating around NFL career. The same song and dance will be played as we approach the 2025 campaign, when the all-time great tight end will certainly be asked about his future in football. But according to his most famous teammate, it doesn’t seem like the end is near at all for the 35-year-old tight end.
Is Travis Kelce’s NFL Career Coming To An End?
Despite qualifying for a Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons, Kelce has had back-to-back “down years” based on his personal standards. 2023 was the first time in eight years that the Kansas City Chiefs lifer had failed to reach the 1,000 receiving yard mark, and had one of his lowest scoring totals ever by notching just 5 touchdowns on the year.
“If it’s the last ride, you would never know.”#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on Travis Kelce, who weighed retirement but is now all-in on Year 13… 👇👇👇 https://t.co/5WiJMnDm6J
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 30, 2025
But the 2024 NFL season was even worse. Despite playing in 16 games, Travis Kelce amassed just 832 yards, good enough for the lowest yards per game average of his career (51.4). His 3 touchdowns were the fewest he’s put up in a season since becoming a full-time starter, and he wasn’t much better in the playoffs nor in Kansas City’s embarrassing loss in the Super Bowl.
Travis Kelce himself assured that he would be back for the 2025 campaign. “I love playing,” Kelce said back in March. “I still feel like I can play it at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don’t think it was my best outing.”
Any Retirement Talks Are Apparently On The Back Burner
But beyond this coming year, Kelce’s future is as big a question mark that surrounds the Chiefs. If Kansas City gets back to their winning ways and ends up as Super Bowl Champions, it would make sense for their longtime tight end to ride off into the sunset after a successful season. But the ending may be coming regardless of if it is one for the storybooks or not, but Kelce appears to be focused on the task at hand in 2025.
Patrick Mahomes on Travis Kelce:
“If it’s the last ride, you would never know.” pic.twitter.com/DQWZdvNaL3
— BBQ Chiefs (@BBQChiefs) May 29, 2025
“He’s in here,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of Kelce during the start of the team’s offseason work out program. “He’s working. I know his body feels good. I think he feels better than even last year before going into last season. I think he’s motivated to go out there and have an even better year than he had this last.”
Travis Kelce doesn’t have a whole lot to prove at the tail end of his NFL career. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion and 10 time Pro Bowler, and has four All-Pro selections as well. He ranks third all-time amongst tight ends in both catches and yards, and is fifth on the list for touchdowns.
