Schefter: Travis Kelce Hasn't Decided on NFL Retirement Ahead of Chiefs' Super Bowl

Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce reportedly has yet to make a firm decision on whether he will retire or continue playing next season.

Speaking Sunday on SportsCenter, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Kelce's NFL future, saying:

"Well, ideally he'd like to continue playing football, but it doesn't automatically mean that he will because Travis Kelce is going to sift through his opportunities this offseason and he's going to make a decision about what is best for him moving forward.

"He hasn't made a decision about whether he will play, and he will not make a decision about whether he'll play until he figures out exactly what's in front of him, both on and off the football field. Would he love to continue playing? Yes. Could he continue playing? Yes. Will he? He hasn't made that decision, and there's plenty of time to reflect on that in the offseason."

Before deciding on his future, Kelce will focus solely on one of the biggest games of his career, as he and the Chiefs are set to go for the first Super Bowl championship three-peat in NFL history against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.

The 35-year-old Kelce suggested on Super Bowl Opening Night that retirement is not something he has considered yet.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Kelce said the following when a reporter asked him where he sees himself in three years:

"Hopefully still playing football. I love doing this, I love coming into work every day. I feel like I still have a lot of good football left in me. We'll see what happens. I know I've been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That's always been the goal knowing football only lasts for so long. You have to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I've been doing that in my offseason. But for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football."

Both Schefter and Kelce mentioned outside opportunities, of which there will undoubtedly be many when he decides to hang up the cleats.

Kelce already has a highly successful podcast with his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce, called New Heights. The podcast has become hugely popular not only because of Travis and Jason's big personalities and status as NFL greats, but also thanks to Travis' relationship with global pop megastar Taylor Swift.

Swift's fanbase has become fans of Kelce ever since it was confirmed prior to the 2023 NFL season that Travis and Taylor were dating.

New Heights could get even bigger if Travis retires and is able to commit more time to it, plus the combination of Kelce's personal stardom and the attention that comes with dating Swift would undoubtedly open up additional doors for him.

In terms of on-field performance, Kelce is still among the best tight ends in the NFL, as he was named to a 10th consecutive Pro Bowl this season.

His numbers were down when compared to the lofty standards he has set, though, as Kelce's 823 yards and three touchdowns were his lowest totals since his rookie year in 2013 when he appeared in only one game.

In 2023, Kelce finished with 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns, which marked his first season with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards since 2015.

However, Kelce rose to the occasion during the Chiefs' playoff run, racking up 32 grabs for 355 yards and three touchdowns. That marked the second consecutive postseason in which Kelce led all players in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

While Kelce was limited to two receptions for 19 yards in the Chiefs' 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game, he went off for 117 yards and a touchdown on seven catches against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round, which suggests he remains capable of huge performances on the big stage.

With 10 Pro Bowls, four First Team All-Pros and three Super Bowl wins, Kelce is already cemented as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.

If he dominates on Sunday and wins a third consecutive Super Bowl, he will perhaps remove all doubt regarding whether he is the best tight end to ever play.

Doing that would leave Kelce with nothing left to prove, which could conceivably make retiring an easier decision, but he could always up the ante by going for a fourth straight Super Bowl win in that scenario instead.