The Kansas City Chiefs tight end discussed the future of his career with his brother Jason in a new episode of their ‘New Heights’ podcast.
Travis Kelce, the notable Kansas City Chiefs tight end, isn’t considering hanging up his cleats just yet. Talking with his brother Jason Kelce on their ‘New Heights’ podcast, the 34-year-old NFL star expressed his ongoing passion for the game.
The topic of retirement popped up when Travis referred to his teammate Chris Jones. This came to light during a discussion about how Jones was prompted with questions regarding his future after their Super Bowl win this past February. Despite being asked about retiring, Jones quipped that once such thoughts enter the mind, they begin to feed it. He firmly stated, “I don’t even want to take my mind that far to the R word. We’ve got more years,” said Jones.
Thinking aloud, Jason humorously teased his younger brother, “I don’t know though. Travis is pretty old.” Despite the teasing and occasional thoughts during challenging physical times, Travis affirmed he’s still very much in love with playing football.
Travis explained, “It’s a thought that’s like, I love playing this game at the highest level possible. And I love playing at it at a level where I know I can have a bunch of success. I know I can still go out there and mow down dudes in the end zone. I know I can go out there and catch a flat route and turn it into a 15-, 20-yard game and make a few guys miss.”
“The moment that I can’t do that,” he continued, “I think that’s when I’m just going to be like, ‘Alright. What am I doing this for?’” It is clear that for Travis, as long as his performance meets his high standards, he’s not ready to step away from the field.
Travis greatly values the excitement derived from making pivotal plays. “I get excitement out of catching a ball, splitting a bunch of defenders, and getting a huge first down when nobody expected me to do it. You know? Or I scored a huge touchdown in a playoff game, in the Q4 when the team needed it the most.”
On the flip side, Jason shared that his decision to retire was due to his inability to “execute [plays] the way I wanted to.”
During their conversation, the Kelce brothers also touched on the Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII championship ring typo. The team had received these rings at a ceremony in mid-June, and Travis found a silver lining in the mistake. “I think it makes it more unique. Like, ‘Oh, yeah, we made it really detailed, and, oops, we screwed up,’” said Travis, playfully adding that the typo “makes it more exclusive.”
