Travis Kelce doesn’t want to leave the Chiefs and is undergoing a drastic change to stave off retirement

Travis Kelce is in the crosshairs. The Kansas City Chiefs’ legendary tight end is facing the biggest decision of his career, as over the next few weeks, he is set to choose whether to retire of play one more NFL season.

A year ago, such high stakes seemed unimaginable. But Kelce’s poor 2024 season has reopened debate over the 35-year-old’s playing future, amid his relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift and the Chiefs’ delicate salary cap situation. Beyond needing to make the financial numbers work, Kelce is determined to leave the Chiefs on his terms — whether that is in 2025 or in 2026.

Before his Chiefs lost Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month, Kelce revealed to reporters that he has made changes to his diet in a bid to prolong his career and put a below-par 2024 season behind him.

“I’ve been eating clean,” Kelce revealed to reporters, days before the Chiefs lost 40-22 to the Eagles. “I haven’t been drinking as much, a little lower on the pounds this week.”

Kelce in 2024 posted career lows in receiving yards (823) and touchdowns (3) during the regular season, and he was a non-factor in the Super Bowl, during which he accrued just 39 yards on four catches. His weight of roughly 250 pounds has never really been an issue, but Kelce did appear slower at several points during the 2024 season — even as the Chiefs had the best record in the AFC at 15-2.

Given he is coming off his worst season ever and the Chiefs are facing financial constraints, Kansas City could be planning for the future and might select Kelce’s replacement in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, if Kelce returns, he would have an important role to play in mentoring his replacement before he takes over in 2026 or beyond.

The Chiefs have been linked with players such as Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, West Virginia’s Kole Taylor, and Texas’ Gunnar Helm — and they can feel confident in the route they choose, given general manager Brett Veach’s skill in finding undervalued talent across the draft board.