Earlier than the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs secured a Tremendous Bowl LIX matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles, NFL analysts and followers questioned if Kansas Metropolis star tight finish and three-time Tremendous Bowl champion Travis Kelce might retire on the finish of this season.
For a chunk revealed Friday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler defined why he’d “guess” that Kelce will not be about to play the ultimate sport of his historic profession.
“Kelce’s 97 catches in 2024 marked his seventh consecutive season of 90 receptions or extra, and he stays a basic piece of coach Andy Reid’s offense,” Fowler famous. “His 117-yard outing in opposition to the Texans within the divisional playoff spherical exhibits he can nonetheless flip it on when it issues most.”
In the early days of what is change into Kelce’s prolonged relationship with leisure famous person Taylor Swift, he revealed that he thought of retirement “nonstop” and “greater than anybody might ever think about.” With that stated the generational expertise who turned 35 years previous this previous October was seemingly rejuvenated by Kansas Metropolis’s Tremendous Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers roughly one yr in the past.
Kelce hinted final spring that he wished to attempt to match the six championship rings that Michael Jordan earned whereas with the Chicago Bulls throughout the Nineteen Nineties. The longer term first-ballot Corridor of Famer, who has embraced quite a few off-the-field endeavors, has additionally repeatedly mentioned how a lot he enjoys “coming to work” with the Chiefs.
An earlier January story by ESPN’s Adam Teicher talked about that Kelce was “on the Chiefs’ apply facility [last offseason] greater than [quarterback Patrick Mahomes] anticipated, given Kelce’s many offseason tasks.”
Kelce signed a new two-year contract in April 2024 that reset the marketplace for gamers on the place. Whereas he definitely is not hurting for cash, that deal might give him thousands and thousands of causes to get pleasure from a “Final Dance” with the Chiefs by subsequent winter.
“Kelce’s chemistry with Mahomes can be tough to quantify — his presence frees issues up for Kansas Metropolis’s gifted receiving corps in methods that aren’t at all times perceptible,” Fowler added. “Plus, Kelce is beneath contract for 2025 and stands to gather $17.25M. Even with a potential appearing profession in his future, it could be powerful for Kelce to stroll away from that form of money in addition to an opportunity at a potential four-peat.“
As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Kelce fourth among the many betting favorites at +1500 odds to assert the Tremendous Bowl Most Useful Participant Award on Feb. 9. Maybe leaving Caesars Superdome with that trophy in hand can be sufficient for Kelce to determine it is time to trip off into the sundown of retirement.
