Chiefs Travis Kelce Hasn’t Determined to Retire, Even when Thursday Felt Like Goodbye

[ad_1] If Thursday evening was the final sport Travis Kelce performed inside Arrowhead Stadium, he positive tried to make it a memorable one.

The Chiefs tight finish solely had 5 catches for 36 yards in opposition to Denver, taking part in alongside third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun whereas his good buddy Patrick Mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew had been out with knee accidents. However a number of of these catches got here within the closing minutes, almost rallying Kansas Metropolis in what would have been a surprising upset of the Broncos.

Kelce and Co. wound up dropping 20-13 in a sport by which they had been almost two-touchdown underdogs.

However it was a gutsy show by him in a profession stuffed with them.

The four-time All-Professional, who is predicted to announce quickly after the season whether or not he's retiring, may have hung up the cleats a few weeks in the past, when the reigning AFC champions had been eradicated from playoff rivalry for the primary time in a decade.

As a substitute, after going to 5 Tremendous Bowls — together with the final three — and successful three championship rings, the 36-year-old Kelce confirmed that he had an excessive amount of satisfaction to stop on a misplaced season. He performed in a humiliating loss to lowly Tennessee final week, and he was one of many few vibrant spots Thursday evening for an offense that completed with 139 yards in all.

"An entire lot of feelings," Kelce mentioned afterward. "You have acquired all people on the earth watching you. You get to go on the market with the younger guys on primetime tv. Younger guys getting a chance to style what this NFL life is like."

As for retirement?

"I’ll let that be a call I’ll make with my household, associates, the Chiefs group when the time comes," Kelce mentioned.

He was the ultimate participant launched Thursday evening, following Oladokun out of the tunnel within the nook of Arrowhead Stadium. As pink lights flashed throughout the sphere, Kelce emerged from the fog together with his signature bow-and-arrow entrance gesture towards a festive vacation crowd, and it predictably roared in delight — maybe for the final time — as No. 87 took the sphere.

"You solely get a couple of of these (moments) the place you get to face there and recognize 60, 70-thousand Chiefs followers cheering for you," Kelce mentioned. "I all the time embrace that second."

In a set excessive above, his fiancee, pop star Taylor Swift, watched him carry out. So did Mahomes and Minshew, who took within the sport collectively from a set; Mahomes tore ligaments in his knee two weeks in the past, Minshew did the identical final week.

"You are feeling the generations of happiness and the love that (the followers) have," Kelce mentioned. "It’s a good looking factor, man. It’s one thing I do know I’ll cherish without end, whether or not it’s popping out of the tunnel or simply making an enormous play for them. That’s why we love Arrowhead."

Kelce has performed 97 video games contained in the stadium over the course of a 13-year profession. He caught 645 passes there, together with playoffs, the third-most by any participant inside a single stadium behind Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald for the reason that AFL-NFL merger.

Now, the query is whether or not Kelce will play subsequent week within the Chiefs' season finale in Las Vegas.

He wants simply 10 yards receiving to achieve 13,000 for his profession, and he may prolong his franchise document — and the longest energetic streak within the NFL — by catching a move in his 191st sport subsequent weekend. He may additionally exit with a win, reasonably than having misplaced 5 straight and 7 of his final eight video games, which is the slide the Chiefs discover themselves on now.

Or, perhaps he'll shock everybody and are available again for yet another 12 months.

"We have been by means of a lot collectively," Chiefs defensive deal with Chris Jones mentioned, making his want clear. "Only one extra (season). Only one extra."

Reporting by The Related Press.

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