Travis Kelce he’s looking forward to “being a normal human being” this offseason as the questions roll in his future in the NFL.
“Every season is over for me, I just put my feet up and be human, because I’ve been putting my body through the wringer for love,” Travis, 36, said on the Wednesday, Jan. 7, episode of his “New Heights” podcast with his brother. Jason Kelce.
Travis continued, “I love playing football and the physical aspect of it, I think there’s something about feeling the wear and tear of the football season, just getting ready for a game knowing your body is beat up. I think there’s something about it, it makes you feel like a mangy animal that’s out there just finding a way to survive.”
Besides enjoying his downtime, Travis has a big decision to make this offseason. “I’m going to try to figure out what I’m going to do next in terms of my future in football,” he said. “I’ve already talked to some people in the facility, having the exit meetings and everything, they know where I’m at, at least right now. There’s a lot of love for the game that’s still there, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that.”
Travis Kelce doesn’t have an answer to the question on everyone’s mind: He’s just trying to process his emotions as the Kansas City Chiefs wrap up their 2025 home schedule with another tough loss. “A lot of emotions,” Kelce, 36, told reporters after the Chiefs’ 20-13 home loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday (…)
When it comes to his next steps, Travis admitted, “It’s a tough thing to navigate, but at the same time, I think if my body can heal and rest and I can feel confident that I can go out and give it another 18, 20, 21 weeks, I think I would in a heartbeat. I think right now you see what the game is like and the feel of it all after seeing the whole body and seeing it after it’s set.”
The Kansas City Chiefs ended their regular season with a 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, January 4, weeks after being eliminated from the playoffs. Immediately after the game, Travis hinted at a possible term to consider retirement.
“First, I love this team,” he said in a video shared by Kansas City Star journalist Sam McDowell via X on Sunday, noting that he was “proud of the way we finished the season even though it ended the way it did.”
Weeks earlier, the Chiefs suffered a major setback when the quarterback Patrick Mahomes he tore his ACL. The team announced in December 2025 that Mahomes, 30, “underwent successful surgery.”
Travis noted Wednesday that “it was a tough season” for the Chiefs, especially because of Mahomes’ injury. His love for the sport, however, has not changed.
“I’m still a fan of the game and I still love the game, so I’ll be watching throughout the playoffs watching how this thing shakes out over the next two weeks,” the 38-year-old told Jason. “And in January I’m hanging out with some friends and family instead of figuring out how to win some playoff games.”
Speculation previously arose that Travis he might retire from the NFL after the Chiefs lost the 2025 Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles, though he eventually returned for his 13th season with the Chiefs.
Travis explained after Sunday’s game that he “knew right away” that he wanted to run for another season after last year’s Super Bowl disappointment. As for next year? “We’ll see,” he said. “Who knows? Either it’s my turn quickly or I have to take some time.”
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones is mulling Travis Kelce’s possible retirement after a disappointing 2025-26 NFL season. “I hope not, man,” Jones said of Kelce’s potential exit in a postgame interview following the Chiefs’ 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Dec. 25. “We just went through a lot of things (…).
Throughout the season, fans and analysts have shared honest thoughts about Travis’ performance on the field. He before addressed the Chiefs’ rough season during a December 2025 episode of “New Heights” as the team missed a chance at the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
“There’s only one way to do things, there’s only one way to coach (Andy) Reid he does things, and if we’re going to play football, we’re going to do it the right way and keep trying to fix those things and finish on the highest note we can,” he said at the time.
Travis noted that losing is “uncharted territory” for some of his younger teammates.
“There’s an integrity thing here that when you sign up for the gig, you’re living your dreams, you’re living the dream of a kid who never had the chance to do it… It’s an honor to be out there, it’s an honor to feel the pain after a game because you were actually out there. You’re doing it wrong,” Travis continued. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re getting the ball thrown, it doesn’t matter if you’re blocking your tail … it’s an honor to be out there in a uniform, playing for the guys around you, playing for your family, playing for the people at home who are watching you, who have known you since you were a kid dreaming of this moment.”
Without directly addressing his NFL future, Travis added, “I’ll tell you what, man, if there’s a game, I’m going to go and I’m going to love playing in it. … That’s the integrity you have to go out with.”