Two games. That's all that could remain in Travis Kelce's decorated NFL career if the beloved Kansas City Chiefs tight end decides to hang up the cleats at season's end. It's a heartbreaking thought for Chiefs fans, made even worse by the fact that this train wreck of a season is how Kelce could go out.
Kelce, a third-round pick by the Chiefs in 2013, shouldn't have any shame when his career is said and done. It took until this season, his 13th in the league (all with the Chiefs), for him to experience a losing season in the NFL, and he missed the playoffs just twice in his lengthy career.
The 36-year-old tight end will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he's eligible to be voted in and deservedly so. He's amassed over 12,900 yards and 82 touchdowns and won three Super Bowls (while playing in five total) while becoming a name everyone knows due to his relationship with Taylor Swift. It's been a crazy journey for Kelce, to say the least.
Travis Kelce could be playing his final snaps for the Chiefs
It's highly unfortunate that Kelce's final games are unfolding like this, with Chiefs losses and a third-string quarterback running the offense. We don't even get to see Kelce go out with Patrick Mahomes throwing to him, meaning the productivity is limited, and we've probably seen the last of him and Mahomes on the field together. That's an absolutely crushing thought.
The writing does appear to be on the wall for Kelce to hang it up, though. There were already retirement discussions surrounding the tight end last year, but after how the Chiefs' season ended, he didn't want to go out that way. Now he's seen that maybe losing in the Super Bowl wasn't the worst way to go out.
It'll be a strange sight to not have Kelce on the team next year (if that's what ends up happening), but given his age, how this season has gone, and that Mahomes might not be fully healthy next year, this seems like as good a time as any to step away. If this is it for Kelce, it's been one hell of a ride, and he'll be a Chiefs legend forever.