For only the second time in his career, Travis Kelce won't be participating in the playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday when the Chargers beat them by three points, and the teams that needed to win won their games.
It has to be a strange feeling for Kelce, who last missed the playoffs in 2014 when he was 25 years old. He's now 36 years old, has made it to five Super Bowls (winning three of them), and is dating the most famous pop star on the entire planet. Life has changed a lot for Kelce since the last time he was on a playoff-less Chiefs team and he wasn't in the mood to talk about it following the loss.
Kelce told reporters that "It's not the time. I'll catch you guys during the week," and did not speak to the media following the 16-13 loss to L.A.
Same after Sunday's loss to Chargers. Kelce told reporters: "It's not the time. I'll catch you guys during the week." https://t.co/3OPNiLaEfd
— Jesse Newell (@jessenewell) December 14, 2025
Travis Kelce took some criticism for avoiding reporters following the Kansas City Chiefs' loss in Week 15.
Some will see or hear this news and think that Kelce is just being a poor sport, but when you really break it down, is it really that crazy that he responded this way? Kelce is on a losing team for the first time in his professional career, and it's quite possible that he knows it's the end of a historic road. His friend and quarterback also tore his ACL and is out for the year. Why would Kelce not want a moment to himself to process all that happened on Sunday afternoon?
Kelce had a decision to make last offseason after the Chiefs lost Super Bowl 59 in blowout fashion, and he opted to return for a 13th NFL season. It certainly has not gone the way he was hoping, as his Chiefs aren't making the playoffs and might even end up with a losing record for the first time in the Andy Reid era. It's looking more likely that that ends up being the case now that Mahomes is done for the season.
It's wild how fast this all escalated for Kansas City, but considering the success Kelce has experienced in his career, for it to have all gone south in what could be his final year has to be a tough pill to swallow. It makes sense that he needs some time before he speaks to the media and figures out what's next for him in his career.