Despite questions about his future with the Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce is focused on the present.
During a Friday, November 21, press conference, the tight end, 36, discussed his potential retirement after the 2025-2026 NFL season.
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“Seeing my brother go through it and seeing … how the league works,” Travis told reporters, referring to Jason Kelce’sMarch 2024 retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles. “The season restarts in April, and I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity to know whether I come back or not.”
While Travis plans to finalize his decision in time for the Chiefs to “fill the roster appropriately,” he is more concerned about the team’s current season at the moment, given their 5-5 record and their dwindling chances to make the playoffs.
“Whether they want me back or not, it’s one of those things where I’d like to make that decision before they’ve got to get draft picks and free agency opens up,” he explained. “So, all of that will be at the end of the season and I won’t be thinking about it until then.”
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As for the 2025-2026 season, Travis acknowledged the Chiefs’ struggles but didn’t count his team out yet.
“Right now, it’s a different season than we’ve had since I can remember,” he said. “With that being said, every single day is a new challenge, and I love that.”
The Chiefs drafted Travis in 2013, making this his 13th season in the NFL. Earlier this year, he explained his decision to continue playing professional football after the Chiefs lost to the Eagles in the 2025 Super Bowl.
“The biggest thing is that I f–king love playing the game of football,” he said during a March episode of his and Jason’s “New Heights” podcast. “I still feel like I can play at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don’t think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them, especially if you look at my track record for how I did in years past. I want to give it a good run. I got a bad taste in my mouth on how I ended the year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was for the people around me.”
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Outside of football, Travis is preparing for the next chapter of his personal life since getting engaged to Taylor Swift in August. Regardless of the couple’s plans for their future, Travis revealed in January that Swift, 35, is supportive of his ongoing NFL career.
“She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game,” he said on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” at the time, noting that Swift “loves coming” and “cheering” him on when the Chiefs compete at their home base of Arrowhead Stadium. “I got all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.