Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce faces a career decision ahead of the 2026 season, but knows if he chooses retirement, he’s going to miss going to war with his teammates. The free agent tight end finished his 13th NFL season with 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns and said in January he needed to see how his body responded after Kansas City’s 6-11 finish.
With free agency set to begin, Kelce opened up on cherished moments if he indeed has played his last snap in the NFL.
“Man, I think it’s just those those moments in the big games, man,” Kelce said on the latest podcast episode of New Heights with Randy Moss. “The feeling of having to rise to the occasion, be there for, you know, 70,000, that are all counting on you out there, outside of just the guys that you go to war with, you guys go to battle with, man.”
Kelce has won three Super Bowls with the Chiefs and first mentioned retirement in 2023 after his last title, acknowledging the toll playing for a decade-plus has taken on his body.
“Those moments of rising to the occasion in the heat of the battle, you know, in the playoffs and all the big games out there, man, that’s a feeling that I know I’ll never get again,” Kelce said. “And those are the things that you cherish the most. And especially, you know, if you’re fortunate enough to to be in the playoffs and make runs at it, man, the satisfaction that you get and the successful feeling you get of all the hard work that you put in is finally paying off, and I think that’ll that’ll be one of the things I miss the most, man, for sure.”
An 11-time Pro Bowler, Kelce recorded the second-fewest catches of his career last season. Kelce previously said on his New Heights podcast that he’s anxious to work again with Eric Bieniemy as the Chiefs’ new offensive coordinator, suggesting he could be back. Bieniemy and Kelce spent a decade together prior to the play-caller’s move to the Washington Commanders’ vacant OC position in 2023.
“There is communication. That’s the main thing,” coach Andy Reid said. “That means people want to move forward. I think that’s where Trav is. I’m not trying to put words in his mouth at all, and I try to give him some space here. He’s been doing this a long time, and he can sort all that out as he goes forward. We’re proceeding with that, and there is communication.”
