Travis Kelce briefly pondered retirement after the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but now the All-Pro right end is prepared to return for a 13th and final season, which he and girlfriend Taylor Swift see as a poetic ending to his Hall-of-Fame career.

‘There was maybe a split second after the Chiefs got blown out that it might be it for Travis and he mulled over retiring, but he snapped out of it relatively quick, and the Chiefs have known all along his intentions to return for at least one more year was going to happen,’ a source with knowledge of Kelce’s thinking told DailyMail.com.

‘They will all officially announce something before the NFL Draft, but Travis is looking forward to giving it one more year,’ the source continued. ‘There is a high likelihood that this will be his last year in the NFL and he will not sign a new contract, the only thing not confirmed is if he will mention that this would be his last year or not. But he is looking forward to playing.’

And while Kelce isn’t the supersтιтious sort, the possibility of a 13th season is intriguing to both him and Swift because it happens to be her favorite number.

‘He has mentioned that he isn’t very supersтιтious, but he has discussed with Taylor that this year would be his 13th year in the NFL, her favorite number and they have talked about how cool it would be for him to play this year, and if it were to be his last, how poetic that would be for them,’ the source added.’

DailyMail.com has reached out do spokespeople for Swift and Kelce for further comment.

Taylor Swift, left, and Kansas City Chiefs тιԍнт end Travis Kelce walk off the field after the trophy ceremony following the Chiefs’ 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC тιтle game

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Kelce only managed four receptions in the heavy defeat to the Eagles while also dropping two pᴀsses.

Weeks later, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told NFL Network that Kelce had been ‘battling with a pretty big illness’ the week of the big game.

But fans were quick to point out that Kelce appeared okay after he was spotted out in New Orleans grabbing dinner with Swift.

They were seen holding hands at Lilette, a trendy French restaurant on Magazine Street. Word had clearly got out that they were there, with plenty of fans waiting by the steps to film them leaving before sharing viral footage online.

It’s because of this dinner date that some NFL fans feel that the claims of an illness are slightly sketchy reason to explain his poor Super Bowl performance – especially considering Kelce hadn’t exactly had the greatest season of his career.

One person believed that the ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ singer could be to blame, saying, ‘It was the Swift virus.’

The 35-year-old was noncommittal about his playing future after his team’s Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, saying on his subsequent New Heights podcast that he would ‘take some time to figure it out.’

But if he is still on Kansas City’s roster by March 15, he will receive a $12.5million roster bonus, according to Spotrac.

That figure would come in addition to the $4.5million in base salary he is set to receive in 2025.

If Kelce retired – or was cut by the team – it would save the Chiefs $17million in cap space .

And if Kelce does choose to hang his cleats up, he is expected to inform the Chiefs of that decision before the bonus kicks in.

Kelce still says that he hasn’t made a decision about whether or not he’ll return to play in 2025

The Athletic previously reported that the Chiefs want to know whether Kelce is playing or retiring around March 14 – the day before the sum would be awarded to the player.

That date is also about five weeks before the NFL Draft – where the Chiefs could look to replace Kelce if he decides he’s done playing.

Kelce was fifth among тιԍнт ends in 2024 with 823 receiving yards, though that total was his lowest since his sophomore season in 2014.

The тιԍнт end also hauled in just three touchdowns this season and was quiet in Super Bowl LIX, catching four pᴀsses for 39 yards in his team’s 40-22 loss.

However, the latest indications are that he will continue playing , as revealed by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini earlier this week.

Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show , Russini said that, from conversations she’s had, there’s ‘definitely a sense’ that Kelce will continue playing.