On Wednesday, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce spoke at length about the difficult retirement decision he faced following the Super Bowl LIX loss at the end of the 2024 NFL season.
In a conversation with his brother Jason Kelce on their “New Heights” podcast, the 35-year-old laid bare all the factors that influenced his decision-making process about whether or not to return for his 13th season with the Chiefs. Kelce’s finances were top of mind.
“Let’s get to it,” Jason asked his little brother bluntly on Wednesday’s episode. “Why are you playing another season? Why are you going to go out there, risk injury, and make less money than you could make not playing football?”
The question referenced Kelce’s rising value off the field as a blossoming media star. “New Heights” alone has a $100 million valuation, and the Chiefs star was recently tabbed to be worth $100 million if he chooses to pursue NFL broadcasting work in retirement like Tom Brady does for Fox and his brother does for ESPN.
In addition, Hollywood insiders have raved about the star power Kelce can bring to the big screen, having worked on FX’s “Grotesquerie,” Prime Video’s “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity” and the upcoming Netflix flick “Happy Gilmore 2.”
Travis Kelce talks dabbling in acting with "Grotesquerie" and hopes to do more: "I feel like an amateur, but I do enjoy it." 🤩 Full interview 🔗: https://t.co/PeeqUOyg6w pic.twitter.com/FgM42JZ0fY
— ExtraTV (@extratv) October 6, 2024
When compared to the $17.25 million he is set to make for the Chiefs in 2025 – which, as Jason mentioned, comes with many more risks – the allure of a full-time entertainment career represented a significant financial dilemma for Travis in his retirement decision.
“That was kind of the one I had to juggle right there,” Kelce admitted to his brother with a laugh, before explaining the decision to take less money this year and keep playing football.
“The biggest thing is I (expletive) love playing football,” Kelce said. “I still feel like I can play at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year… I want to give it a good run.”
