Travis Kelce will return with Kansas City Chiefs after deciding not to retire

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has confirmed he will keep playing in the NFL.

The 35-year-old, who is dating pop star Taylor Swift, has one year left on his contract and admitted he had been contemplating retirement in the aftermath of the Chiefs’ heavy Super Bowl defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles last month.

However, speaking on his New Heights podcast – which he co-hosts with his brother and former Eagles centre Jason Kelce – the three-time Super Bowl winner confirmed reports he had quickly decided to play again.

When asked by his brother why he was returning for another season, Travis Kelce replied: “I love playing (football), 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 let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them.

“I got a bad taste in my mouth on how I ended the year, how well I was playing and how accountable I was for the people around me. And I love so many people in Kansas City, both in that facility and the community, it’s home for me now. I don’t want to leave that life yet.

“Last year, it didn’t end well for us. I feel like there’s a responsibility in me to play out the contract I initially signed to give Kansas City and the Chiefs organisation everything I’ve got, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Kelce has spent his entire career with the Chiefs after he was selected in the third round of the 2013 draft.

The tight end has reached five Super Bowls and has the most post-season receptions of any player in NFL history with 178.

In one of his least productive regular seasons of his career, Kelce recorded 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns in 2024.

He had four catches for 39 yards in the 40-22 loss to the Eagles as the Chiefs fell short of an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory.