The star Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has reached a fork in the road.
He is feeling pressure from all sides about which path he should take next.
And Travis Kelce received the shocker ultimatum that will change his life forever.
Kansas City Chiefs give Travis Kelce a deadline on retirement call
The Kansas City Chiefs spent all of the 2024 NFL season dreaming of becoming the first football team in history to win three Lombardi Trophies in a row.
But their hopes to achieve the long-coveted “three-peat” were crushed when the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the former champions in a 40-22 heartbreaker in the last Super Bowl match.
Rumors and whispers were rapidly circulating the entire season that, should the Chiefs achieve another Super Bowl victory, their star tight end Travis Kelce would call it a wrap for his career in the league.
Kelce, who is 35 years old, hoped that he would ride into the sunset in glory by finishing his career on a massive achievement that would make the league’s record books.
But during the Chiefs’ blowout loss, Kelce was only able to offer four catches for a total of just 39 yards.
Along with the Chiefs’ defeat at the Superbowl, so was Kelce’s dream of a perfect career ending.
Kelce is undoubtedly at the end of his successful playing career, and his lack of production this past season made it clear that retirement was just around the corner.
The star 10-time Pro Bowler “big man” already has three Super Bowl rings to his name, so there is not much else for him to try and prove.
There is no doubt that he will enjoy a first-ballot nomination to the Hall of Fame whenever he announces that he intends to retire.
Kelce has also stolen headlines for months non-stop due to his ongoing relationship with pop star Taylor Swift.
He also boasts a newly budding career in television, starring in a new TV series and even as a host of a game show.
But according to a report by The Athletic, the Chiefs have delivered a must-decide deadline of March 14 regarding his retirement.
Kelce is currently pending a $11.5 million roster bonus to be signed over by the Chiefs on March 15.
Travis Kelce opens up on retirement talk
The star Kansas City tight end recently opened up about his potential retirement to his brother Jason Kelce on his New Heights podcast following their monumental Super Bowl defeat.
“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year,” Kelce admitted. “And right now, I’m just kicking everything down the road.”
“I’m not making any crazy decisions,” he added.
But Kelce made it clear that he was not dismissing the idea of retiring while sharing his thoughts on the matter.
He explained that, in that current moment, the Chiefs organization was focusing on supporting each other and spending time to “be there” for one another.
“It’s just a tough reality,” he explained about performing at the NFL level. “There’s a lot that goes into this thing, you know?”
“A lot of wear and tear on your body,” he confessed.
Former New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski had retired at 33 years old, and that followed a long career of injuries.
It is not common for tight ends to play in the NFL once they reach their mid-30s the way Travis Kelce has been.
But he argued that he had no intention to rush into a decision about what will come next.
“I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” he told his brother. “And, I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, it’s a wholehearted decision.”
“I’m not half a** it, and I’m fully here for them,” he asserted.
Travis also shared that his friends and family were standing behind him in comfort following his team’s crushing Super Bowl loss.
“After the game, I had my best friends and my family and my loved ones and everybody that has supported me throughout my life there to make it not feel like the worst day of my life, gonna suck for quite a while,” he shared.
“It’s just life, man,” concluded Kelce. “It’s life.”
Travis Kelce will likely remain the center of attention in the NFL leading up to his difficult decision on whether or not he plans to rejoin the Chiefs for another season.
