Travis Kelce Addresses Retirement Possibility Amid Tough Chiefs Season

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Travis Kelce is thinking about life off the field.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce hinted he might retire from the NFL after this season, inspired by his brother Jason Kelce’s heartfelt retirement announcement in March 2024.

He explained to reporters on November 21st, according to People magazine, that watching his brother’s experience and understanding how the league operates made him want to let the Chiefs know by April whether he plans to return for another season. He wants to give them enough time to prepare either way.

The 36-year-old, who is engaged to Taylor Swift, said he plans to decide soon so his team can sign players as needed. However, he added that his main focus right now is on the current season.

He said he’d prefer to decide his future before the team starts considering draft picks or making moves in free agency. He plans to wait until the end of the season to think about it and make a decision.

With the Chiefs currently at 5 wins and 5 losses, Travis admitted the team faces a tough challenge, but he remains hopeful they can turn things around.

He noted that the current conditions are unlike anything he’s seen in a long time. He embraces the daily challenges that come with it, saying he finds them invigorating.

Even though the Chiefs have faced challenges this season, Travis has consistently performed well under pressure. He broke the team’s record for touchdowns during the November 16th game against the Denver Broncos, and teammate Patrick Mahomes was quick to acknowledge his achievement.

The quarterback praised his teammate after the game, saying, “He truly earned this; he works incredibly hard every day.” He went on to describe him as a leader and highlighted how fitting it was that he broke the record, especially with such a clutch play at a critical moment. He added that this is typical of the player, who consistently delivers when it matters most.

For more on Travis’ life on and off the field, keep reading.

Although Travis Kelce is now famously associated with Kansas City, Missouri, he originally grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

During game broadcasts, when players are introduced, this man proudly announces his hometown rather than his college, the University of Cincinnati.

Which, as you might guess, has irked some fellow alums. 

Travis Kelce explained that while he deeply values his time at the University of Cincinnati, it wasn’t always easy. Speaking at his 2019 Hall of Fame induction at Cleveland Heights High School alongside his brother Jason, he admitted he faced difficulties, including losing his scholarship due to some poor choices. He jokingly acknowledged that he was likely the ‘Heights kid’ everyone knew who made mistakes.

I’ve always felt that Cleveland Heights isn’t just important to him, but to all of us who live here. It’s such a diverse community, and honestly, it really inspires me. Everything I do, whether on or off the field, is for this city. I know it might sound a little corny, but I truly mean it – when you see me celebrating, that’s my way of representing Cleveland Heights and showing love to everyone here. It’s for you all, right there.

2. About that revoked scholarship…

Following Cincinnati’s perfect 2009 season and Big East championship, Travis tested positive for marijuana before the 2010 Sugar Bowl. This occurred after he partied excessively on New Year’s Eve while in New Orleans.

He didn’t just miss the bowl game; the NCAA also suspended him for the entire 2010 season and canceled his scholarship. This left him without housing or meals, so he moved in with his brother Jason – sharing a room in the house Jason shared with teammates – and got a job as a telemarketer, where he called people to get their opinions on the Affordable Care Act.

They did, and Travis could not wait to get back on the field.

Before focusing on football, Travis played hockey, baseball, and basketball. He originally started high school as a quarterback and was even a two-star recruit for Cincinnati. However, he had to switch to tight end to rejoin the team after being suspended.

When I was drafted by the Chiefs in 2013, we already had a great quarterback in Zach Collaros, but we were looking to improve both our running and passing attacks,” Travis explained to Arrowhead Pride. “I spoke with my coach, Butch Jones, and he felt a tight end was what we needed. Luckily, my abilities and athleticism fit the role perfectly, and it turned out to be a great fit for me.

He told GQ magazine in 2017, recalling a particularly embarrassing experience, that people had always assumed he was better suited to playing tight end.

Travis and his teammates, including Jason, often had lively, beer-filled gatherings at the house on 127 W. Nixon Street.

According to college friend and teammate Tom DeTemple, the brothers would spend hours playing Nintendo 64, often combining it with drinking games. He told the New York Times before the 2024 Super Bowl that they’d invent spontaneous rules while playing and were surprisingly skilled at it.

5. And suffice it to say, Travis is extremely proud of being a Bearcat.

Before the 2023 Super Bowl, the Chiefs player shared how much pride he has for his hometown and university. He explained that he recently earned his degree from the University of Cincinnati and actively supports the school whenever he can, enjoying visits and staying connected with former teammates and the people who’ve supported him throughout his life.

Even while facing scrutiny from the NCAA, he explained that the players, coaches, and staff at the university had faith in his ability to improve and succeed, which meant a lot to him then.

After nearly ten years away from school to pursue a career in the NFL, Travis completed his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2022. He officially received his diploma in April 2024 at a special, impromptu graduation ceremony held in Cincinnati after he and his brother Jason recorded a live episode of their podcast, New Heights, at Fifth Third Arena.

As the graduate went to shake the dean’s hand in congratulations, he was already holding a beer and immediately drank it down.

And Travis was going to graduate in 2022 but he missed his flight.

Travis Kelce wasn’t the first tight end drafted in 2013; some off-field concerns caused him to be picked fifth overall, in the third round by the Kansas City Chiefs. Once Travis joined the team, head coach Andy Reid, who had previously coached Travis’s brother Jason in Philadelphia, asked Jason to speak on Travis’s character.

Andy and Travis have three Super Bowl rings to show for Jason’s endorsement.

Travis used to listen to Randy Newman’s song “Burn On” before every game for years, though his pre-game music choices have since changed.

Growing up on the east side of Cleveland, this song always makes me think about my family and how grateful I am for where I am in life,” he explained on the 2017 NBC Sports podcast PFT Live.

Let us explain: It’s in the opening credits of Major League, the ultimate Cleveland sports movie.

9. Everyone, including Travis, is mispronouncing his last name.

Everyone’s been pronouncing Kelce as “Kel-see,” but the correct pronunciation actually rhymes with “else.”

The news came out when Chris Jones, Travis’ teammate, mentioned it on Inside the NFL in January, famously saying, “Fking crazy, right?” Travis and Jason Kelce then confirmed the story when they talked to their dad, Ed Kelce, on their New Heights podcast.

Jason was confused. “Seriously, why did you change your name? And why did we all just start calling ourselves Kel-see? I’ve been called that for 27 years, and Trav’s been ‘Kel-see’ for 25!”

Ed admitted he “got tired of correcting people” but urged his son to “do whatever you want.”

Travis has worn the number 87 throughout his NFL career to honor his brother Jason, who was born in 1987.

Travis Kelce shared with NFL Films before the 2023 Super Bowl that the story of his family’s NFL success – having both him and his brother Jason play professionally – began in 1987, the year he was born. He was referencing the beginning of what would become a notable family legacy as he prepared to face his brother’s team, the Philadelphia Eagles, with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Travis Kelce’s Eighty Seven & Running foundation has consistently supported Operation Breakthrough, a Kansas City nonprofit learning center. He first volunteered there in 2015, reading The Cat in the Hat to the children, and has been involved ever since.

Yes, reader, he wore the hat.

Since then, Travis has supported the program by investing in their Smart Lab and purchasing the building next door. This allowed them to create the Ignition Lab, where students transformed old, discarded cars into functional electric vehicles.

Travis and Jason affectionately call their podcast listeners “92 percenters.” This nickname comes from a joke Jason made about a football play called a quarterback sneak, which he said succeeds about 92% of the time when a team only needs to gain one yard for a touchdown.

Listeners loved the podcast so much they started calling themselves the “92 percenters,” as if it were a special inside joke or a shared identity, according to the podcast’s website.

Who were the Kelce brothers to argue with that?

Travis Kelce works with three trainers—Alex Skacel, Andrew Spruill, and Laurence Justin Ng—and typically has one travel with him to help him stay in peak condition for football throughout the year, according to The Athletic.

Alex, a physical therapist, remembered Travis wanting to go for a run late at night after Paris Fashion Week. Travis had skipped his usual workout that day and felt the need to exercise.

The trainer told the New York Times in April that they were doing sprint workouts on the bridges over the river at midnight. He emphasized that no matter the location, this athlete always makes time to complete his necessary tasks.

Travis’s chef, Kumar Ferguson, is a longtime friend – they’ve known each other since fourth grade when they both lived in Cleveland Heights.

In 2016, he was driving a truck and enjoyed cooking as a hobby when Travis contacted him with a job offer.

Kumar recalled that the person said something like, ‘I really want to commit to a healthy diet and take it to the next level.’ Kumar responded by saying he was ready to help, and just a few days later, he found himself in Kansas City.

He handles a wide range of tasks, from simple things like keeping Travis’ fridge full to more involved duties like providing nutritious lunches for the entire Chiefs team at their practice facility.

Travis Kelce has been getting a lot of attention for his facial hair lately. He shared on his podcast, New Heights, that he shaved his beard after the season in 2023 but kept his mustache to copy the look favored by his coach, Andy Reid, and continued the style in 2024.

In April 2024, Travis signed a two-year contract worth $34.25 million, making him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end for the first time in his career.

Which finally put an end to years of chatter about how much money he wasn’t making.

In a 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, Travis Kelce joked that his managers and agents constantly point out he deserves a higher salary. He said whenever he brings up wanting to earn more, they always tell him to ask the Kansas City Chiefs for a raise.

By that point, he had so many other ways to make money that he was more interested in enjoying his work than earning a large salary.

He explained that while a free market sounds good in theory, it’s disappointing when you don’t succeed. He emphasized his strong desire to win and his satisfaction with his current position.

It’s tough seeing other players earn so much money – it definitely makes you question things,” he said. “You start to wonder if you’re being fairly compensated, and whether pushing harder would actually result in the pay you deserve. But ultimately, I genuinely enjoy my work and going to the facility every day.

Travis developed a passion for clothing early on, growing up in Cleveland Heights. He described his high school as a daily “fashion show” in a 2023 interview with Vanity Fair.

He transformed a bedroom into a walk-in closet to store his expensive clothes and impressive sneaker collection—over 300 pairs! He even splurged on a pair of size 13 Nike Air Mags with a significant chunk of his first professional salary, even though they didn’t quite fit.

He told the Wall Street Journal that when he first started out, before sneaker apps were common, he’d just buy whatever size of shoe he could find.

He’s a big fan of Nike, especially since they sponsor him, but he also loves Chuck Taylor sneakers. They remind him of the famous baseball player Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez from the movie The Sandlot.

18. Among his dozens of investments, Travis co-owns Ohio-brewed Garage Beer with Jason.

Travis shared in a statement last June that he enjoys a beer from time to time, so he’s thrilled to be an owner of Garage Beer and help create a great light beer. He believes there’s nothing quite like a cold beer to bring people together, and that’s what he and Jason value most about it—connecting with friends and family and having a good time.

19. We’re sensing a theme when it comes to Travis’ guilty pleasure TV choices.

He reminisced about the show Gossip Girl, describing it on the New Heights podcast as a classic New York high school drama. He said it was full of gossip and people talking negatively about each other, but in a really entertaining way.

His new favorite show? Peacock’s Emmy-winning backstab-a-ganza The Traitors.

As someone who’s followed athletic performance for years, I’ve noticed a real shift in Travis’s openness lately. At 35 and in his twelfth NFL season, he’s been sharing more about the physical challenges and wear-and-tear that come with playing professional football. It’s a reminder that even the most elite athletes experience a significant toll on their bodies.

He’s quietly endured a lot of hardship from the start of his career. It began when a knee injury—a small fracture—forced him to miss his first season and led to ten surgeries over the years.

Travis Kelce recently shared on his podcast, New Heights, that he tried to give Taylor Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it while she was performing in Kansas City, but wasn’t able to.

She heard through mutual connections that Travis wanted to meet her, and then she reached out to him.

He explained to WSJ. Magazine that she clearly told him what had happened and how he felt fortunate she contacted him.

Travis has always loved French toast, especially when it’s covered in whipped cream and syrup.

But more recently he’s become a fan of his girlfriend’s homemade Pop-Tarts and cinnamon rolls.

23. At least one of Travis’ ringtones is Chris Farley shrieking “For the love of God!” in Tommy Boy.

He told WSJ. Magazine that he’s eager to share his love of comedians like Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, and Will Ferrell with Taylor. He explained, “I told her, ‘This is what I’m really into.’”

After the Chiefs won the AFC Championship in 2019, Travis Kelce shouted “You’ve got to fight for your right to party!” This inspired the team to play the Beastie Boys’ song of the same name after every touchdown scored at home games at Arrowhead Stadium.

Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach described Travis Kelce as a huge boost to team morale in a 2020 interview with ESPN. He explained that Kelce’s positive character, charisma, and passion are infectious, and he has a way of bringing everyone together. Everyone in the Chiefs organization considers Travis a friend, and he consistently lifts the spirits, focus, and energy of those around him, all while making things enjoyable.

The person who enthusiastically introduced the 1986 song to everyone surprisingly didn’t learn all the lyrics until he had to sing it with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in February 2023.

In May 2024, Travis revealed his three favorite Taylor Swift songs: “Blank Space,” “The Alchemy,” and “So High School.”

When asked about them a few months later, he gave a different answer, saying, “I love them all—every single one!”

He publicly stated in August 2025 that his favorite song from The Life of a Show Girl is “Opalite.”

People began comparing Travis Kelce to Tony Gonzalez, the Chiefs’ all-time great tight end who retired in 2013 after 17 seasons, very early in Kelce’s career.

Back in 2015, as people began to seriously discuss whether Travis would exceed Tony’s accomplishments – and how letdown fans would be if he didn’t – Travis claimed he ignored all the talk.

I’m my own harshest critic,” he said to Complex. “I’m aiming for a record-breaking season – I want to have the best statistical year any tight end has ever had.”

In 2024, Travis became the Kansas City Chiefs’ all-time leader in receptions, breaking the previous record with his 917th catch.

On the New Heights podcast, Travis shared how things often come back around. He pointed out that being a leader on the Kansas City Chiefs—a team with roots going back to the 1960s—feels special, as they’re one of the original franchises still performing at a high level. He attributes much of their success to the team’s strong history and to players like Tony Gonzalez, who has been a significant influence and someone he greatly admires.

27. Of Travis’ many accomplishments, keeping his house in order on his own isn’t one of them.

“He can’t clean,” mom Donna Kelce told Extra in September 2024. “He can’t cook.”

But perhaps hosting a special someone served as extra motivation to get it together.

“He’s getting a little better,” Donna acknowledged. “I think he’s getting some help.”

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2025-11-22 19:49