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Tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs‘ run of 10 playoff appearances and seven AFC title game berths is over, as is quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ season and potentially Travis Kelce’s career in the NFL.
Everything came crashing down on the Chiefs’ final drive of the fourth quarter, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL. Backup Gardner Minshew entered the contest, throwing a game-sealing interception that also slammed the door on Kansas City’s postseason hopes, as they lost to the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 16-13.
Kelce declined multiple interviews last week, after he bobbled a first-down catch late in the game, which the Houston Texans intercepted. The turnover cost the Chiefs the contest and dropped them to 6-7 on the year.
The tight end was not part of the postgame press conference on Sunday, December 14, either, nor did he speak to reporters in the locker room. However, cameras caught a disappointed Kelce walking into the locker room with his eyes downcast and clearly emotional.
Some young fans pleaded with Kelce to sign an autograph for them. Kelce responded with a raised hand, as if asking them to stop.
“Not right now,” he said.
As Kelce turned left and walked into the locker room, he made a fist with his left hand and knocked it on the wall twice in rapid succession.
Travis Kelce Playing on Final Year of Deal With Chiefs
GettyKansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
That action, in and of itself, isn’t uncommon for any player after a tough loss. However, Mahomes’ ACL injury could mean he misses part of next season as well.
Kelce is in his 13th NFL campaign and was considering going out on top last February had the Chiefs finished off the first championship three-peat in the Super Bowl era. They failed to do so against the Philadelphia Eagles, and Kelce made it clear relatively soon after that he planned to come back in 2025 with the hope of redeeming Kansas City’s title game defeat.
He is in the final year of his current contract with the Chiefs and has a lucrative podcast. Kelce will also certainly have other lucrative media opportunities, either as a broadcaster and/or analyst working in the game of football, not to mention opportunities in television and film in Hollywood.
Kelce is also engaged to global music star Taylor Swift. He turned 36 years old in October, has earned 10 Pro-Bowl nods, seven All-Pro selections and is a guaranteed Hall of Fame selection once he becomes eligible following his retirement. He has earned more than $111 million in his playing career.
Patrick Mahomes Issues Public Message Following ACL Tear
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Following the defeat to the Texans, Mahomes issued a message that foreshadowed Kelce’s potential exit from the team and the league.
“Every season I’ve had with him these last few years I’ve tried to cherish because you never know,” Mahomes said. “He got himself in great shape this year and he has played great football, and he’ll have the option to do whatever he wants to do after this season.”
Mahomes also penned a message to the fans, which he posted on social media Sunday night.
“Don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it’s hurts,” Mahomes wrote. “But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I Will be back stronger than ever.”
With one more loss, the Chiefs will record a losing season for the first time since 2012 and have several personnel deficiencies to fill in the offseason. Given Mahomes’ uncertain return timeline and the potential issues for the team moving forward, Kelce may well decide three weeks from now that the time has come to move on from football.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
