When Travis Kelce decides to retire, the Chiefs tight end wants to do it on his own terms.
With rumors swirling about when the 34-year-old Travis might retire, the three-time Super Bowl champion spoke about his own retirement plans on Wednesday. “New Heights” podcastHe pointed to his older brother, recently retired Eagles center Jason Kelce, as an example.
“I feel like I’ve been very fortunate to be able to retire on my own terms and that’s my goal,” said Travis, who is in his 12th season in the league. “To be able to retire on my own terms and as long as I don’t have any physical issues where I have to retire due to a major injury, being able to retire on my own terms is the biggest goal in football.”
The 36-year-old Jason announced his retirement from the NFL in March after 13 seasons with the Eagles.
For the seven-time Pro Bowl selection and six-time All-Pro First Team selection during his time with Philadelphia, the decision was born out of a belief that he no longer could perform at a high level.
Travis believes that when he reaches that point, it’s time to walk away.
“I like playing at a level where I know I can have a lot of success,” the nine-time Pro Bowl selection said on Wednesday’s show.
“… I know I can catch a flat route and turn it into a 15-20 yard gain and get past a couple of guys. The moment I can’t do that anymore, I’m like, ‘Oh man, what am I doing this for?’ It’s exciting to catch the ball, get past a bunch of defenders and get a big first down that nobody saw coming. Or score a big touchdown in the fourth quarter of a playoff game when your team needed it most. The moment I can’t do that anymore and I’m playing at an average or less successful level than I am now, I think I’ll probably retire.”
“I can’t decide when I’ll retire,” Travis said at Chiefs minicamp last week.
“I enjoy coming to work every day, and obviously I know there are opportunities outside of football. I think when you come into this building you have to realize you’re still a kid,” he said.
“I’m going to do it until the wheels break, which hopefully won’t be anytime soon. I certainly understand I’m at the end of the road, not the beginning, and I’ve got to make sure I’m ready after football.”
Travis, who is already set to branch out into television with appearances on Amazon’s “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” and Ryan Murphy’s “Grotesquerie,” finished the 2023 season with 93 receptions for 984 yards, his first season since 2015 where he failed to surpass 1,000 yards.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said last Wednesday that he believes Travis still has plenty of potential.
“He’s got four or five years left, what are you talking about?” Jones said Wednesday. According to ESPN:“I can’t let TK go. It’s like I’m retiring, we have to retire together. Give me at least six or four years, and then we’ll talk.”
Travis has stated that he wants to go into broadcasting after his NFL career ends.
Meanwhile, Jason is set to make his ESPN debut this fall as a commentator for “Monday Night Football.”
