Might Super Bowl LIX be the final NFL game for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce? According to Ian Rapoport, yes. During Saturday night’s episode of The Insiders, Rapoport shared that Sunday “could, in fact, be the final time that we see Travis Kelce on a football field.” “From what I am told, Travis Kelce is undecided about whether or not he wants to play during the 2025 season,” Rapoport said. “He has said he believes he has a lot of good football left. He has said he envisions himself playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. But he has not been definitive. He has also said ‘We’ll see what happens.’ In other words, to try and give himself some wiggle room.”
From The Insiders in New Orleans: #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce could be playing in his final game on Sunday, as he’s undecided on his future. pic.twitter.com/xQbaMnfO6s
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 9, 2025
Rapoport continued, “The difference with Travis Kelce compared to basically any other player I can remember, he can make a lot more money — not that it’s just about money — he can make a lot more money off the field after he retires. So much awaits him when he decides to not play football. Thirty-five years old, still near the top of his game, although maybe slowed down a little bit this year. Probably gonna take some time after the game to assess his future. But there’s no lock that he plays next year.” In an article he wrote on the matter, Rapoport mentioned he expects Kelce to “make a decision before free agency, which officially begins March 12.”
This aligns with theories proposed by Dan Orlovsky and Nick Wright. Like Orlovsky and Wright, Rapoport detailed in his article that the likelihood of Kelce retiring increases significantly if the Chiefs win on Sunday, becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. Kelce caught 97 passes for 823 yards with three touchdowns, which were career lows in yardage and touchdowns, aside from his rookie season when he played only one game. In Kansas City’s two playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl, Kelce has recorded nine receptions for 136 yards and one touchdown.
