Travis Kelce will be returning for a 13th NFL season, and one of his teammates has claimed to be responsible for convincing him to keep playing.
Kelce, 35, weighed up retirement following the Chiefs’ loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl, in which he was largely anonymous with just four catches for 39 yards.
He ultimately decided to come back for Kansas City, and Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice has taken credit for that call.
‘I ain’t gonna lie to y’all, I’m 95 percent of the reason he ain’t retiring,’ he told REVOLT Sports.
‘Told him he can’t go out like that. I’m gonna make sure we get that next year. He was finna hang it up. I’m pretty sure he was gonna hang it up. And I’m like, ‘Bro, we can’t go out like that.”
While Rice is only 24, the Chiefs’ blowout 40-22 loss in Super Bowl LIX could have been the last game of Kelce’s career.
Travis Kelce, seen with girlfriend Taylor Swift, is returning for a 13th NFL season
And teammate Rashee Rice has claimed to be responsible for convincing the tight end to return
Kelce was mostly a non-factor in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss to the Eagles in New Orleans
However, the receiver went on to detail how he reached out to Kelce and supposedly changed his thinking in regards to retirement.
‘I texted him. He basically was like, ‘bro, I really appreciate that.’ He’s like, ‘you really got me thinking about it. I really appreciate you reaching out to me.’ And then I seen it pop up on the media. I said, ‘all right now,” he concluded, imitating the tight end’s catchphrase.
Speaking on his New Heights podcast with his brother Jason after the game, Kelce claimed he was not fully focused in New Orleans.
‘I feel like I owe the guys that I come into that building with a whole lot more effort and focus. I just don’t know what it was during that game man, I wasn’t at my best,’ he said.
‘The more that I see clips or watch the film and put myself back into those moments, man, I’m just like ‘what the f**k.”
His brother and co-host Jason replied: ‘Don’t overanalyze it Trav. You’re the king of not overanalyzing, so don’t overanalyze it.’
By returning to play for the Chiefs, Kelce is earning an $11.5million roster bonus on Friday.
His regular season marks of 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns were both his lowest since his sophomore season in 2014, but he is still considered one of the game’s better tight ends and a trusted underneath target for Patrick Mahomes.
Rice, a second-round pick in 2023, had a hugely positive rookie year as he finished with 938 receiving yards and seven touchdowns before helping Kansas City win the Super Bowl.
However, he played just four games in 2024 after suffering a gruesome knee injury.
