Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce says that he plans to continue playing football after this season ends.
Kelce was asked during Thursday’s press conference about comments he made earlier in the season in which he said he thinks about retirement “more than anyone could ever imagine.”
The 34-year-old tight end had a light-hearted response. “You guys think about retirement?” he asked. “Am I the only one in that boat?”
Kelce then shifted into a more serious gear and said, “I have no reason to stop playing football. I love it… I just love the challenge it gives me every single day to try and be at my best. Like I said, I have no desire to stop anytime soon.”
During the regular season, Kelce found himself at the center of speculation as some suspected he may be calling it quits after an incredible 11-year run. The two-time Super Bowl champion came 16 yards short of what would’ve been a historic eighth straight 1,000-yard receiving season, opting to sit out of Week 18 instead of chasing the stats.
Between his lucrative endorsement deals, the New Heights podcast he co-hosts with his brother Jason, and other extracurriculars, Kelce has successfully crafted a life outside of football, and his future in the NFL could be considered more open-ended than most.
With the 2023 postseason quickly approaching, Kelce squashed any and all rumors of retirement talk and emphasized he wasn’t ready to hang up his cleats just yet.
“I’ve been fortunate to do a few things outside of the sports world like getting on camera, the SNL stuff kind of opened up a new happiness and maybe a new career path for me… But I think it’s so much further down the road than it is right now.”
Kelce and the Chiefs will gear up to face the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card round at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
