Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: ‘I have no reason to stop playing football’

The 2023 regular season for Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce started with uncertainty due to a knee injury that held him out of the team’s first game. Still, he put together a Pro Bowl-worthy campaign and fell only 16 yards short of another 1,000-yard season after sitting out the season finale to rest ahead of the postseason game.

Kelce fielded questions from reporters on Thursday after practice ahead of the Wild Card game on Saturday. He addressed the ongoing question regarding his future in football following the playoffs.

“I have no reason to stop playing football, man. I love it,” Kelce said. “We still have success. Come in with the right mindset. And I just love the challenge that it gives me every single day to try and be at my best. Like I said, I have no desire to stop anytime soon.”

The rumors of Kelce considering retirement have floated throughout the season and re-emerged on Thursday following the coaching departures of Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Nick Saban.

“That’s the point of the offseason, being able to get out there and really find what you love to do,” Kelce explained. “I’ve been fortunate to do a few things outside of the sports world that I’ve been enjoying doing, like getting on camera. The SNL stuff kind of opened up a new happiness and a new, maybe a new, career path for me. But it’s funny for me even to say that at this point in my career because I think it’s so much further down the road than it is right now.”

Kelce is still among the best offensive players in the league, regardless of age. He has found a way to avoid distractions while pursuing other interests off the field.