Retirement rumors have been hounding Travis Kelce since the Kansas City Chiefs’ devastating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. While Kelce considers his options, there is one major thing he should take into account—the staggering amount of money he will be paid if he chooses to play one more season or forfeit if he chooses to hang up his cleats.
Travis Kelce Has 1 More Year Left On His Current Contract
Kelce signed his current contract in April 2024. This two-year, $34.25 million extension, which includes $17 million guaranteed, makes him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Conflicting reports have been made about whether the Chiefs have given him a deadline to make a decision.
When asked about Kelce’s future on the team, Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said the decision was “up to Travis.”
“At this point, get out of town and relax,” Reid said of Kelce. “For right now, that’s what he’s doing.”
The rumors of a decision deadline of March 14 are due to his current contract, which includes a massive “roster bonus” set to be paid out on March 15. The amount Kelce could be walking away from if he chooses to retire is a reported $11.5 million per People.
Jason Kelce Claims His Brother ‘Already Knows What He Wants to Do
Jason Kelce, the older of the Kelce brothers and co-host of their hit “New Heights” podcast, recently weighed in on his brother’s retirement decision.
“I think Travis, I think he probably, in his heart, already knows what he wants to do,” Jason said on The Steam Room podcast. “
“We’re very similar people, but we also have different ways of thinking about things. Sometimes, I can overanalyze situations, and any big decision I’m having in my life, I’ll think about the negatives and what about this or that. My brother has this way of being like, ‘Hey man, you want to play or you don’t want to play,’” he added.
The future Hall of Fame tight end has only publicly addressed the rumors once, on the episode of “New Heights” recorded just days after their Super Bowl loss.
“I’m just kicking everything down the road, I’m not making any crazy decisions. I’m gonna take some time to figure it out. And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, it’s a wholehearted decision. I’m not half-assing it, and I’m fully here for them.”
Chiefs GM Brett Veach Fuels Rumors Travis Kelce Will Come Back for 1 More Year
The Kansas City Chiefs’ general manager, Brett Veach, sounded confident that Kelce would return based on the way the most recent season ended.
On February 25, Veach said at the NFL Scouting Combine, “How we left it at the end of the season was he was fired up, has one more year under contract. [I] still think he has the fire and desire to play.”
Veach also shot down the rumors the Chiefs had given a decision-making timeline for Kelce.
“As far as I’m concerned, there is no deadline,” he said. “I think we left it as he’d be back. We’re excited to get him back and get him going.”
Kelce has been MIA since the Super Bowl loss, supposedly vacationing with Taylor Swift. And by the looks of his backdrop on the most recent episode of “New Heights,” he is clearly not at home.
Tell us! Do you think Travis Kelce will return for one more year? Or do you think he is ready to hang it up and settle down with Swift? Let us know in the comments below.
