Kansas City Chiefs fans likely rejoiced after hearing that star tight end Travis Kelce plans to return for his 13th NFL season in 2025.
Since the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX nearly one month ago, Kelce had been weighing his options regarding his future, which include a transition into acting through television and film roles plus a likely sports broadcasting career like his brother Jason.
But ultimately Kelce decided he wasn’t quite ready to leave his football life behind, and he even said as much during his “New Heights” podcast on Wednesday.
“The biggest thing is that I [expletive] love playing the game of football,” Kelce said. “I love playing, I still feel like I can play at a high level, and possibly at a higher level than I did last year — I don’t think it was my best outing.
“… I want to give it a good run. I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth on how I ended the year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was to the people around me. … I don’t want to leave that life yet.”
Some fans expected Super Bowl LIX to be Kelce’s final game.
He’s already won three Super Bowls, he has a Hall of Fame resume, he’s financially well-off, and he seems ready to settle down with longtime girlfriend Taylor Swift, who according to a new report, isn’t exactly happy with the 35-year-old TE’s decision to continue his NFL career.
“She wants to get married and start a family, and now is the time,” a source told RadarOnline. “Privately, she’s hoping Kelce will retire, but she’ll support him through another year of football if that’s what he wants.”
Kelce has publicly stated that he has Swift’s full support if he wanted to keep playing, and he even said she’s been his biggest cheerleader as far as his football career goes.
However, multiple reports have stated Swift’s friends and family are ready for Kelce to propose and for the couple to start a family, and Kelce continuing to play football for at least one more season likely derails those plans, at least temporarily.