The Kansas City Chiefs are awaiting a decision from tight end Travis Kelce. Will he play another season, or will he retire? No one really knows but him; however, the Chiefs need to be the second one to know, behind Kelce himself, of course.
They need to have an idea of how to attack the position in the event of Kelce’s potential or future absence. So, to help Kelce make a decision, why not learn from someone who knows best what it’s like to be the greatest tight end of all time, facing potential retirement? Tony Gonzalez recently gave Kelce some advice on the situation, and based on what he’s saying, Kelce could be in for retirement this offseason, but not the next.
“Does he have it – yeah. Of course he does,” Gonzalez said during Super Bowl week. “He probably has two or three years. But, I don’t think he knows. My advice to him, whether he was sitting here or right now, is to come back because he needs to in his situation. Not because you want to, I don’t think that’s a good enough reason. There’s a difference, like I feel like I can live without this game. Like, mentally, just wouldn’t be okay, and I wanna be around the guys in the locker room, the grass, cleats, but still enjoy – like I need that.
“Like the reason I retired, you’re not the player that used to be. I d
idn’t wanna put it on camera, but some guys need it. Jerry Rice told me play till the wheels fall off. He did. He got cut from the Denver Broncos. But he needed. You are chasing rings. You’re not chasing records. You’re not chasing money. You’re not chasing fame. The only thing you come back for is because you feel like you need this. Yeah, but if he does come back, that’s a great addition for the Chiefs’ locker room. Forget about production. It’s about what he does as the soul of the team.”
This could scare Chiefs fans, because if Kelce does what Tony G did, he will retire. It doesn’t seem like Kelce needs the game. And that’s fine. As Gonzalez said, you keep doing football when there’s something to chase, like money and rings. However, he has all that. he has done everything a tight end could want to do, and is considered the greatest to ever do it. So, if Kelce follows this advice, we could see him retire.
No matter his choice, the Chiefs need an answer soon. Free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft are approaching, so they must prepare for the tight end position. Whatever Kelce decides, the Chiefs will support him.