Travis Kelce has 'confirmed' his retirement decision after the Super Bowl 59 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, according to one of the biggest NFL broadcasters.
Kelce was vying to win a third consecutive Super Bowl and the fourth of his career in New Orleans but the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a disappointing 40-22 defeat to the Eagles.
Going into the game, rumours had been rife about whether the tight-end would continue his playing career and speculation only increased after the Chiefs general manager Brett Veach revealed he had been "battling a pretty big illness” beforehand.
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It has been claimed that he has until March 14 to make his decision, with Kelce said to be due a hefty bonus of $11.5 million a day later.
Kelce's brother Jason, formerly of the Eagles, claimed that Travis has likely already made his mind up in his head.
However, on his own show from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Thursday, ESPN analyst and WWE commentator Pat McAfee read out a text message from Kelce where he claimed he had decided to return for the 2025 season after being left with a "real bad taste in my mouth" about how he played in his last game.
ESPN star Pat McAfee read out a text message from the Kansas City Chiefs tight end on his Thursday show on the network, confirming he would return and play next season.
“My dog!!! I'm coming back for sure,” the text read, according to McAfee.
“Gonna try and get to the best shape I've been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can't go out like that!!!!”
The revelation from McAfee comes after Veach had said he felt Kelce "fired up" to come back for the new season when speaking to reporters at Tuesday's scouting combine.
Kelce had his say on future
On his New Heights podcast with brother Jason, Kelce, who is in a relationship with pop star Taylor Swift, said he would be carefully considering his options and will not be rushing into making a decision.
He stressed that there would be no "half-assing" and he would need to have maximum motivation to continue.
He explained: "I'm kicking every can I can down the road. I'm not making any crazy decisions.
"I've been fortunate over the past five, six years I've played more football than anybody.
"The fact that we keep going to these AFC championships and these Super Bowls, that means I'm playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league. That's a lot of wear and tear on your body."
Kelce continued: "I think I owe it to my team-mates that if I do come back, it's going to be a whole-hearted decision. Not half-assing it.
"I'm fully here for them and I think I could play. It's just whether or not I'm motivated or it's the best decision for me as a man, as a human and as a person to take on all of that responsibility."
Topics: Travis Kelce, NFL
Josh Lawless