At 34 years old with three Super Bowl rings and 11 seasons of a certain Hall of Fame career under his belt, there’s little left for Travis Kelce to accomplish as a football player.
Nobody could reasonably fault him for contemplating retirement. But he’s still having too much fun.
Kelce addressed the late stage of his career and the prospect of retirement when speaking with media Tuesday from the start of Kansas City Chiefs minicamp. He said he’s not calling it quits anytime soon.
“I can’t put a timeframe on it,” Kelce told reporters. “I love coming to work every single day. Obviously, I know there’s opportunities outside of football for me. You’ve got to keep in perspective that I’m still a little kid when I come into this building.
“I know I’m 34 years old, about to be 35. But I have a love to do this right here — in the middle of the heat in June. I love coming to work every single day and doing this. I’m gonna do it ’til the wheels fall off, and hopefully that doesn’t happen anytime soon.”
Travis Kelce: “I’m still a little kid when I come into this building.” Says he has a love for this, even in the middle of the beat June. As for the ‘mileage’ on his body he says “Wear and tear me Baby!” #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/1pOuxbUnJT
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) June 11, 2024
Kelce’s “wheels fall off” approach is not new. He said the same thing at Chiefs minicamp last summer.
A lot has changed since then. Kelce’s brother and fellow future Hall of Famer, Jason Kelce, announced his retirement while near the top of his game. Kelce won a third Super Bowl catching passes from Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs signed Kelce to a lucrative raise through the 2025 season, making him the highest-paid tight end in football.
And, of course, his personal life has taken a very public Taylor Swift-adjacent turn. This alongside the podcast he co-hosts with Jason and any number of media and business opportunities he’ll have to choose from give him plenty to consider after football — as does the the physical toll the game exacts on his body.
But Kelce doesn’t appear concerned about the latter. In fact, he actively welcomed that “wear and tear” on Tuesday.
“Wear and tear me, baby,” Kelce continued. “I’m ready for it. Put the load on me. I love being accountable for the men and women in this building and Chiefs kingdom. I love the aspect of everybody counting on me to try to make that play for the team.”
Kelce’s production regressed last season. But he remained an elite player at his position, with 93 catches for 984 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season. He caught nine passes for 93 yards in the Super Bowl.
The glory of football is fleeting. But it doesn’t get much higher than being a star pass-catcher on a Super Bowl dynasty. With the Chiefs built to contend for the foreseeable future, Kelce is understandably not ready to give that up. It’s a lot to walk away from.
