With Super Bowl 59 in the rearview mirror and the Kansas City Chiefs on the losing side of things for the first time since 2021, it's a different approach to the offseason for K.C. One thing that might not feel as different is Travis Kelce's future being up in the air.
Kelce is coming off a season that many deemed a "down year" despite him having 97 catches but it also wasn't hard to notice that he looked out of it and mostly disinterested in the Chiefs' Super Bowl blowout. It'd be hard for anyone to put on a smile and act happy in a situation like that but Kelce in particular looked dejected and like his heart wasn't in it anymore.
Colin Cowherd talked about Kelce's future and thinks he knows what's best for the future Hall of Fame tight end. Cowherd discussed how Kelce, like LeBron James, has played the seasons he has with the wear and tear that comes from that but also basically has another full season under his belt of just playoff games. He also talks about how the Chiefs have been essentially put together by duct tape these past few years and argues that it looks like it's the end of this team's run.
"My take on Travis Kelce has been this is the perfect time for a clean break," Cowherd said on his show The Herd. "He's got tons of money, lots of options and I think one of the mistakes basketball, football teams do is they cling to the end."
Colin Cowherd says it's time for Travis Kelce to retire
Kelce opted not to speak to the media right after the Super Bowl defeat and waited until his New Heights podcast episode to address the retirement rumors that have cranked up a notch since the loss. Before the game, Kelce said he planned to continue playing for a few years but his sentiment has changed after this game.
"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 that it’s gonna be a wholehearted decision and I’m not half-assing it, and I’m fully here for them. I think I can play, it’s just whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility,"
On top of that, NFL insider James Palmer has reported countless times since the Super Bowl loss that it feels as though this could be it for Kelce. At this point, no one would be shocked either way.
While it's hard to imagine Kelce wanting to go out the way the Chiefs did in Super Bowl 59, if his heart isn't in it, gearing up for a potential 20 or 21-game season is a lot to ask. Kelce needs to do what's best for him and roll with whatever decision he makes. If this is it for him, Chiefs fans will always be grateful for what he did for this team.