NEW ORLEANS – Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt has heard the speculation that Sunday’s Super Bowl could be the final game of Travis Kelce’s career but he doesn’t see his superstar tight end walking away from the game quite yet.
“He’s not made a decision that I’m aware of,” Hunt said Tuesday morning. “I personally think he’ll be back because he loves the game so much, but we’re going to let him take the time he needs to make that decision, and certainly hope he wants to come back.”
Hunt’s remarks echo what Kelce himself said during Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday when asked where he sees himself in three years.
“Hopefully still playing football,” Kelce said. “I love doing this. I love coming into work every day, and I feel like I still got a lot of good football left in me, but we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”
Kelce certainly didn’t show many signs of slowing down this past season. He played 940 snaps during the regular season, his most playing 971 in 2019. His 84% of snaps played in 16 games was his highest percentage since participating in 86% of plays in 2020.
He also earned Pro Bowl honors for a 10th-straight season while catching 97 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns. Kelce has one year remaining on his contract which includes $17.25 million in salary, roster bonus and workout bonus. His salary cap number is $19.8 million next season, but would drop to just $2.55 million if he retired.
Kelce’s future has been the subject of speculation amid a growing portfolio of appearance on screen. Last year he hosted Saturday Night Live and played a role in Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie. He’s also hosting the Prime Video series Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?
“I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life, and that’s always been the goal, knowing that football only lasts for so long,” Kelce said. “You got to find a way to get into another career, into another, profession, and I’ve been doing that in my off seasons, but for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.”
Kelce will turn 36 during the 2025 season, marking 13 years in the NFL. Former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, whom Kelce has used as a role model during his career, remained productive through 17 seasons and age 37.
Hunt said Kelce’s work ethic remains second to none, and he remains a critical element of the team’s energy and chemistry beyond his on-field production.
“I think you’ve heard a lot of our young players say, ‘I can’t believe how hard Travis practices every day,’” Hunt said. “Here’s the most veteran player on the team, somebody who has earned the right to take it easy during the week if he wants to, but that’s not how he goes. He goes full speed and then on game day, he’s an energy giver on the sideline, particularly when things are not going our way. He encourages the guys. ‘Hey, we can get back in this. We can figure out how to get this done.’”
When and if Kelce decides to hang up his cleats, Hunt understands the hole he will leave in the Kansas City locker room.
“Certainly we’ll miss that.”
