KC Chiefs TE Travis Kelce retires, what’s missing in his game as he gets older

In many ways, parallels can be drawn between the game of football and the game of life. Things change quickly in both realms, and neither operates in infinite time. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, someone who has reached the pinnacle of stardom in both sports and the public is a good example of that.

This week, the future Hall of Famer said he “felt 22 again” and was “ready to rock and roll” for Kansas City’s playoff game. Despite that, questions about retirement persist as he finishes his age-35 season. For the first time, he added a context that makes one believe that the decision to continue playing is no longer so easy to make.

In a Wednesday appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Kelce changed his tune slightly from previously recorded responses.

“Look, it changes every single day, man,” Kelce said. “I love everything I do in this building, but at the end of the day, I don’t have the extreme success on the court that I have individually. I’m excited for the next couple (of) games, playing at Arrowhead, to end this season I’m going to reassess it like I always do and I’m probably going to tell myself how much I love this thing and I’m going to come back next year in perspective man I never want to get to that point where I’m not helping this team win, or I hurt this team more than I help this team, as long as I come out here, play good football and enjoy coming in building every day with my guys, you’re definitely going to see me in a Chiefs uniform.”

The past two years have seen Kelce retire numerous times. In April 2023, he said he had not “thought much” of the possibility. Less than seven months later, he admitted he thought about it “more than anyone could ever imagine.” The 2024 calendar year featured him pushing retirement “so much further down the road than it is now” in January, then declaring in June that he would continue playing “until the wheels fall off.” Decoding his messages has always been difficult.

However, Smith got perhaps the most honest and reflective version of Kelce, and he’s not considering the timeline of walking away for no good reason. The 12-year veteran can feel a decline in his game.

“Well, the biggest thing is some of the most fun you’ll ever have in this game is having the ball in your hands,” Kelce said. “Having said that, making guys miss was something I always prided myself on. That was really the main thing. I made the play more than I was supposed to. If I have a deep cross 18 yards , I don’t just catch the ball and get tackled, I turn that 18 yard gain into a 20, 30, 40 plus yard gain over the past few years make guys miss has become a bit harder, whether they know my moves and I have to change it or I have to break through tackles or find another way to fool them so I can make them miss The biggest thing is to be able make guys miss in space and get those extra yards that aren’t necessarily in the scheme of the play.”

The numbers certainly back up Kelce’s self-scouting observations. After missing two games, nursing injuries and seeing his 1,000-yard receiving streak snapped last season, his production is even less impressive this time around. On four more receptions and 12 more targets, Kelce posted career-worst marks in yards (823), yards per carry. catch (8.5) and yards per goals (6.5) in the regular season. Advanced metrics like yards before catch per receptions (5.0), yards after catch per reception (3.5) and receptions per broken tackle (32.3) also fell.

At this point, Kelce is undoubtedly on the legendary back nine of his career. In fact, he might be on one of the last few holes on the championship-winning golf course. His adjusted contract from last offseason has one more year on it, potentially setting him up for either a renegotiation, one last hurray or an escape route in February or March. Although he is an all-timer, he is mortal.

Then again, it’s always been nearly impossible to predict what one of the game’s greatest minds will ever decide to do.

“You know, I haven’t really talked to anybody about this,” Kelce said. “I think I still enjoy playing the game and when I’m in the building I’m working on getting better or working on getting that extra strength or that extra quickness to be able to make guys miss. It’s a nonstop staircase of success here Week in (and) week out, Coach (Andy) Reid has challenged us, our tight space has challenged me to do more of that during the season: get more than what we just get It’s a focus that has been there, since I got here in Kansas City, I don’t think about it too much, but at the same time, I’m always trying to be better than I am right now.

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