Colin Cowherd, Travis Kelce. Getty Images(2)
Travis Kelce has played all 174 of his career regular season games with the Kansas City Chiefs, but his time at Arrowhead Stadium could be coming to an end.
The tight end has openly discussed retirement on his “New Heights” podcast with brother Jason Kelce, and even if he does play next year, there’s no guarantee it will be for the Chiefs. Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd speculated on Thursday, February 13, that now could be the best moment for the two parties to go their separate ways.
“This is the perfect time for a clean break. He’s got tons of money, lots of options,” Cowherd, 61, explained on his show, The Herd. “I think one of the mistakes basketball [and] football teams do is they cling to the end. It’s time for a clean break. He’s expensive, he’s a tight end, this is a good tight end draft, if they were gonna move up and be aggressive outside of left tackle, it’d be for [a] tight end.”
Travis, 35, just finished his 11th season in the NFL and — though he’s one of the greatest players in Chiefs history — had arguably his worst year in 2024. He tallied career lows in receiving yards and touchdowns, despite actually having more receptions than three out of his last four seasons.
With the average NFL career lasting just over three seasons, Travis has already had a remarkable run, but as Cowherd pointed out, the wear and tear of the NFL could be taking its toll.
“He blocks, he’s tough, the physicality, the temperament, but it may be time to quit,” he said. “You start looking at Travis Kelce over the last seven years; he’s played another season of NFL football for playoff games, and we ask our tight ends to block often the best athlete on the other side of the field.”
Travis Kelce got emotional in front of his Kansas City Chiefs teammates before the 2025 Super Bowl. NFL reporter James Palmer appeared on the Wednesday, February 12, episode of Up & Adams With Kay Adams as questions arise about Kelce’s future in the league following the Chiefs’ disappointing performance in Super Bowl LIX. Palmer revealed […]
After the Chiefs’ 40-22 Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Travis said on “New Heights” that he’s not ready to decide on his plans for next year.
“It’s gonna sting,” he said on the Wednesday, February 12, episode. “I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year and right now I’m just kicking everything down the road. … I’m not making any crazy decisions, but right now the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding that a lot that goes into this thing.”
Travis has one year remaining on the two-year, $34.25 million contract he signed with Kansas City last offseason. But he also has a career outside of football, thanks to the success of his podcast, Hall of Fame trajectory and high-profile romance with Taylor Swift. That’s given him options as he plans his next step.
