Travis Kelce reflects on his uncertain future and what he has lost as a player in 2024

Travis Kelce sounds very, very ready to take care of business — for at least as many as three more postseason games with the Kansas City Chiefs. As for any football life beyond that, so much is unclear.

The Chiefs All-Pro tight end and future Hall of Famer is certainly in the twilight of his storied career, but this season he’s shown to have plenty left in the tank. He also has another year left on his contract, while he still seems to enjoy being part of this historic dynasty with teammates like Patrick Mahomes and a head coach like Andy Reid.

That said, Kelce’s numbers have dipped a bit this season, and it’s clear the Chiefs have invested in a future beyond Kelce at the position with the selection of Jared Wiley and the extension for Noah Gray before the season began. Given that Kelce also has plenty of interests and opportunities away from the game to keep him busy, the questions about his playing days are natural.

Travis Kelce opened up about his future in an interview with Stephen A. Smith.

In a recent interview with Stephen A. SmithKelce opened up about life after football and began giving definition on how he will make a decision regarding his future — as well as his concerns about a game in decline.

When pressed by Smith about whether he wants to return to keep the wheels turning for the Chiefs’ offense, Kelce admitted it’s difficult to reach a permanent decision on such a significant switch.

“It changes every single day, man,” Kelce said. “I love everything I do in this building, but every day I don’t have the extreme success that I’ve had on the court individually. I’m excited for the next few games — the playoffs at Arrowhead to end this season, then I’ll reassess it as I always do.

“I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing and I’ll be back next year,” he continued, “but it’s something you have to keep in perspective. I never want to get to the point where I don’t is it. helps this team win or i hurt this team more than i help this team. as long as i’m playing good football and enjoying coming into the building every day, see you in a Chiefs uniform .”

Kelce had 97 receptions this season, showing his continued importance to the Chiefs’ offense and chemistry with Mahomes, but with 823 yards and 3 touchdowns, it’s also clear that Kelce isn’t as dominant in 2024 as he has been in previous seasons . Smith continued to question Kelce about what he meant by hurting the team, and the Chiefs tight end surprised with a very real answer.

“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 the main thing, you know? I made the play more than I was supposed to get. So if I got a deep cross at 18 yards, I’m not just catching the ball and getting tackled, I’m turning that gain into a 20, 30, 40-plus yard gain.

“Over the last few years, it’s gotten a little bit harder to make guys miss, whether they just know my moves or not, and I’ve got to change that or I’ve got to break through tackles or find another way tricking them so I can make them miss, the biggest thing is being able to make guys miss in space and get those extra yards that aren’t necessarily on the play.

You can watch the entire interview below: