A surprise new report claims that Travis Kelce has already decided to keep on playing with the Kansas City Chiefs.
A report in The US Sun late Tuesday claims Kelce, 35, is already asking the Chiefs organization about his close-season fitness schedule and wants to win more Super Bowls before calling it a day in the NFL.
The claims are surprising given that many interpreted his New Heights podcast episode this week as a man appearing to come to terms with the end of his career.
That said, at the start of Super Bowl week Kelce underlined his hopes of playing three more years for the Chiefs and after the loss to Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Kelce would be welcome back next year.
The Sun quoted a source insisting that Kelce has already been asking about close-season fitness plans and that the loss has made him ‘super motivated’ to play on.
‘He isn’t going to retire,’ the source is reported to have said. ‘He wants to win more Super Bowls. His goal is to play three more seasons.
A shock new report says that Travis Kelce will not retire from football and keep on playing
The 35-year-old is considering his future after the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl on Sunday
‘Travis wants to keep being very important for the Chiefs. He still feels that he can play at the highest level for three seasons, and I am sure that if he decides to stay with the Chiefs at the end of his current contract, there will be no issues extending his deal.
‘Travis feels very happy here and knows that next season has to be perfect.
‘He is desperate to make the Chiefs make history again and to help brother Patrick Mahomes get closer to by winning more rings. He wants to keep showing that he is one of the best in the league.’
The surprise claims mark a significant shift in tone after Kelce spoke like he was grappling with the fact his career might have ended with a shocking loss in New Orleans.
‘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 kicking every can I can down the road,’ he said.
‘I’m not making any crazy decisions [yet]. Right now the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding there’s a lot that goes into this thing.
‘The fact that we keep going to these AFC Championships and these Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games than everybody else in the entire league,’ he explained.
‘That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body and it’s a lot of time spent in the building, focusing on your craft, focusing on the task at hand, every challenge that you set up for yourself. That process can be grueling, it can weigh on you.
Kelce’s romance with Taylor Swift has helped his profile grow away from the football field
Kelce sounded like a man on the brink of retiring on his New Heights show on Wednesday
‘It can make you better [but] it can drive you crazy at the same time, and right now it’s one of those things where it was kind of driving me crazy this year.
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It happens when you kind of tail off towards the back nine of your career. When you feel yourself not have the success that you used to have, it’s a tough pill to swallow.
‘And then on top of that to not be there in the biggest moments, knowing your team’s counting on you man… it’s just a tough reality.’
‘I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,’ he continued. ‘And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back that it’s gonna be a wholehearted decision and I’m not half-a**ing it, and I’m fully here for them.
‘I think I can play, it’s just whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.’
Kelce will likely confirm his decision, either way, before March 12 and the start of NFL free agency.
