if he retires whats the dead money look like for next year?

$3m.

But he's not retiring.

And you guys act like he's washed. Dude caught 97 ****ing balls this year, with 5 different LT's and WR1 AND WR2 missing for the majority of the season.

You know where a kid in the draft capable of the 2024 Kelce season would go?

First round.

I know man, right?!

He's not washed, but he's not the same player statistically. He has steadily declined in output since the 2022 season. That could be for a variety of reasons, including the offense in general not playing well since that year. However, Veach needs to draft his replacement soon. Because Travis will probably come back for the next super bowl run and then call it quits and then we are left with nothing at TE.

We have Gray and drafted Wiley, who missed the bulk of the season with an ACL but will be back.

If you draft a guy high, he'll be TE4 for at least a year. Does that seem smart?

It looked to me like he retired during the Superbowl.

I very much appreciate Kelce and I feel like HE was the majority reason we had such an explosive offense for so many years, 60% him/40% Mahomes, he also made Smith look so much better of a QB than he was. The huge decline this year has been evident though.

A TE in the draft that could put up 97 catches for 850 yards in 16 games would go in the first round without question.

This is nonsense.

Kelce even now is a top 5, maybe top 3 TE in the NFL.

Nonsense.

He's just not capable of being a WR1 anymore, but that should have never been the equation.

Kelce is so insanely good, the obvious TE GOAT that even a washed Kelce is a starter on any team.

I think he comes back for another year, if we win it all next year then he'll retire but I can't see him retiring after this loss.

I've never hear Jason say he regrets retiring.

Travis has a brother that retired after a SB loss. Its a good assumption Jason's opinion will matter a lot.

Who is the brother that retired after a SB loss?

Jason considered retiring before his final season. Heavily. You can hear it in his voice he still loved playing. I also don’t think he regrets at all playing one more year especially with the chance to drink in every moment like every situation could be the last. You can hear it in his voice toward the end that he was done which made his final decision easy.

I don’t think Travis has had any of that. He went from ecstatic to lukewarm overnight. The decision feels a little impulsive. I imagine he will tell Travis to give it one more year but declare that it will be the last ride.

I figured Trav has a final year and does the Amazon documentary just like Jason

The Tush Push may have hurried Jason's retirement

My ****ing man.

Damn right.

If you listened to their podcast and watched the Amazon documentary, the main reason Jason retired was because his body was telling him to. In fact he was planning to retire after the year they lost to the Chiefs, but he came back for another run after that loss.

Bring him back and let him play the #3 role as we evolve this offense.

He’s said since last summer that he’d play two more years and then reevaluate. Thats what I expect him to do.

I just hope he makes it clear to the team what he intends to do as early as possible.

I don’t want Veach handcuffed while Travis thinks about it.

His cost is too high. He's 35. It's time to move on.

He took a team friendly contract for a decade. The dude is a team guy. Jason made a very quick decision both times and I expect Travis to also. The only roadblock is I’m sure their team will poke him a little about money. As they should. But I don’t see this being delayed or messy since both sides have some incentive to walk away

If he does return I bet you see them restructure to spread over a few years. Trav still collects the dollars. And we can spread the cap hit. Maybe Travis would be open to restructuring by offering a bigger contract with a no guaranteed third year. It’s an interesting way to save face by not accepting a discount but in the end it becomes team friendly.

Sorry but we won 3 superbowls with this guy being a central part of the offense. He's been vastly underpaid his entire time here. Nobody should be talking about forcing him out. He's earned being overpaid for a season if he wants to stick around. He'll still contribute.

Any one banging the drum to get Kelce out is ****ing high. Worthy and Rice both credited Travis with their accelerated development and helping find chemistry with Mahomes. I want this guy in the building but I want him playing in a reduced role. The number of snaps he took this year is insane.

19 million. Not insane.

Also and not that it impacts the cap… but sorry gotta say it… Taylor swift creates a lot of value for Kansas City. They make a shitload of money off of her. That can help us invest in staff and coaches, facilities and for once in our life we can actually compete with big markets on players gaining celebrity and sponsorship deals.it can help us to frontload deals we may otherwise be reluctant to. I know some people are tired of seeing her but I don’t think it’s talked about enough about the financial benefits of having her tied specifically to our team and city.

I’m sure clark hunt is well aware of the financial impact of Travis not being on the sidelines anymore. That’s going to for sure be a factor

I doubt KC sees a World Cup without Mahomes. Swift doesn't hurt that At All

99% of the time I'm the guy who argues against paying for past play. But shit you'd be hard pressed to find a guy more under paid through his career than Kelce. He's still a top 5 tight end statistically if I'm not mistaken. There's maybe two tight ends I'd rather have on the field in 3rd and long.

If Kelce comes back in a reduced role they can ask Travis to restructure.

Huh? There's nothing to restructure. This is the last year of his deal. What you're asking for is a pay cut.

Why should we care if he's been underpaid for his career? That's on him.

He's coming back and I'll be happy when he does. Worth every penny. I don't care if we let every free agent walk if it means Travis still wants to play. We'll figure it out.

This may be reactionary but fuvk you for this bitch ass performance Travis. You ****ing gave up and l played like a bitch

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The moment I was out on Kelce <a href="https://t.co/wk6WSJ1HbQ">pic.twitter.com/wk6WSJ1HbQ</a></p>&mdash; ���� (@RJLockedIn) <a href="https://twitter.com/RJLockedIn/status/1889365586443907362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Saw the flag and stopped.

Yeah, thats not a good look at all.

Yeah he played like a bitch all game. This is so pathetic man

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">had no chance. <a href="https://t.co/wD6zF4XrIY">pic.twitter.com/wD6zF4XrIY</a></p>&mdash; Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nate_Tice/status/1889022339800777017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Stop blaming Joe Thuney. THIS was the effort Kelce was giving all night...Trent Williams wouldn&#39;t have made a difference at LT. ��*♂️<br><br>Love Kelce but this shit right here is hard to watch. If you can&#39;t get fired up for a 3peat no better than this, it may be time. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChiefsKingdom?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChiefsKingdom</a> <a href="https://t.co/aVd3ZbNdMV">pic.twitter.com/aVd3ZbNdMV</a></p>&mdash; All Chief&#39;d Up! (@AllChiefdUp) <a href="https://twitter.com/AllChiefdUp/status/1889363965957820538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Alrighty, that second one is just abysmal.

Yeah, too bad it has to be posted with apologist commentary.

What should we stop blaming Thuney for? He got wrecked repeatedly and that wasnt Travis's fault.

Love Kelce.

He’s the greatest receiving threat we’ve ever had.

But it’s time for him to go

He looks disinterested.

That doesn’t look like poor effort. That looks like he doesn’t care.

A surprising turn from a guy who typically elevates his play during the postseason.

Mahomes was yawning when they showed him pre-game.

Playing every year in February had caught up with them. They looked tired

97 catches and 873 yards we are just going to just magically replace eh?

If you are undecided, then you have already quit.

Thanks for everything Travis. I hope you do what is best for your health and future.

Football is a game of young players. Time is the undefeated opponent.

Emeka Egbuka and Noah Gray.

That's not even age or aptitude. That's just completely being checked out mentally.

His yards have decreased the last few years. I think it’s better for us to save the 17 mil and focus on the offensive line. Go through a mini-rebuild and be ready to go on another dynasty run in 26.

It blows my mind how you could be going for a historic threepeat, while knowing it may be the last time you ever step foot on a football field, and THAT is the effort you give.

I love Travis and will forever love him for all he gave me as a fan, but that is just disgusting.

It really may be time. If you can’t get up for that moment then what are you still doing out there?

The NFL is brutal. You can’t be half there.

There’s a reason so many guys who are talented enough to be good players fail anyway.

Not to mention your shitty effort is getting one of your best friends killed.

If not for yourself, give some effort to protect Patrick.

The Eagles having the flu may be a bit of explanation

Not with one guy, no. This offense needs a big time reset. It's time.

Alright, I concede.

That was Travis's worst game ever by a lot. He's made mistakes in the past with drops or fumbles but his effort was never questioned until now.

Two weeks of party time with Taylor was too much. Andy warned them not to hit it too hard.

That sux man he can do whatever he wants. He's a legend.

When you’re already one of the best ever, already made your money, already won your rings, etc, it’s probably hard to stay motivated.

It’s probably even harder when you know you’ll still be famous after you’re done playing.

Then, you’re hanging around celebrities who don’t have to put their bodies through a car crash 20+ times per year.

Yeah, it’s probably hard to stay motivated.

Well, if it's hard to stay motivated, then this isn't his game anymore. As much as I hate to say it, it looks like it's time to hang them up. I remember a couple of those plays as they happened, and it didn't really sink in how much of non-effort he was giving. And when they show him sitting on the bench and he's by himself, I was concerned this may be it.

Hope not.... but father time is not your ally in sports.

I don’t know man. We’re questioning a guy who has been consistently a dawg and we’re making a lot of accusations. I trust the history. Something seemed off. I don’t know if our guys weren’t feeling well or just knew we were terribly outmatched. Everywhere on the sideline we had uncharacteristic body language and I never doubt Reid’s ability to keep these guys focused and motivated.

I’m looking forward to the next New Heights episode. Because this guy has earned every benefit of the doubt. Until then I’m going to chalk it up to burnout. And that’s a pretty reasonable excuse. I guess we should have seen the signs when he quickly flipped from being excited to play to suddenly considering retirement. I don’t want to go there that the ultimate teammate and competitor just decided on impulse that he just didn’t care anymore

Remember in that Rocky movie when his trainer told him the worst thing that can happen to a fighter is getting domesticated? (I'm paraphrasing bigly lol). Well... that's what I'm seeing with Travis.

Rocky got beat down soon after and it was shocking. The rest of the script has yet to be written. You couldn't see Rocky hanging them up after that fight. It's hard to see Travis doing it.

Considering how good Travis was in the Buffalo game at all of the little things, I doubt it had anything to do with effort.

If Kelce returns the Chiefs are going to have to restructure his $19 million cap # and be realistic about his role in 2025… a situational player in the red zone/third downs… similar to Antonio Gates at the end of his career.

Also they need a commitment from Kelce that he’ll be 100% focused on football and ensure that he’s in optimal condition entering the season.

Yea he'd be out if they went at him like that. He doesn't need to play anymore.

And he went OFF on the Texans just two games ago. It was just a bad matchup, I don’t see him hanging em up.

I can't imagine him retiring after that game. That was one of the worst games of his career. He wouldn't want to go out like that.

Did any one not get wrecked all night? Maybe Creed I cant think of an issue he had other than a snap hitting the ground. But the rest of the line played like complete ****ing ass.

Time to retire if he can’t get motivated to play in the Super Bowl.

This isn’t a Week 3 game vs the Colts.

There's no restructure to happen. He's either back for the number or he's not. He's more than capable of making that much or more off the field. So he will have to decide if his drive is there.

Issue might have to be forced. It's time.

This is the truth— if you’re thinking about retirement, you’ve already retired.

Yes, 97 catches and 800+ yards is a great year for any TE. I think ThaVirus said it best; at this point his presence might be detrimental to Mahomes taking shots with other receivers who are open for larger gains.

Of course Gray or Wiley aren’t replacing that production; that’s the point. Evolve the offense to focus on #1 and #4 first, then #83 or #12 as second or third option. The era of Mahomes to Kelce is over. Adapt or die.

I'm sure I'm not the first person to say this....but I don't really care either way.

I just hope he decides fairly soon. Because we'll either A) want to put that cap space to use or B) He'll need to be busting his ass this entire off-season to get as near to prime condition as his age will allow.

If he comes back -- great. His leadership is elite, he's still a hell of a possession weapon and he's essentially an additional OC on the field in a lot of ways.

If he doesn't want to come back -- just fine with that as well. In terms of on-field performance, I don't think he was as impactful as his salary slot in 2024.

We'll be fine however it goes, I just hope it's a decision he makes fairly quickly. It'll work better for all parties that way.

There's another play where Smith got straight folded backwards by a dude he outweighs by probably 70 lbs.

I mean the entire offense just had NOTHING. It was so damn strange. They just looked to be going through the motions out there.

Some of the most ferocious competitors the team has were just stuck in neutral. Someone like Thuney isn't a guy that plays with a lot of fire but Smith, Kelce and Mahomes are three of the most aggressive guys on that squad.

And from the very beginning they just looked...bored.

It was so strange.

Agreed.

The lack of competitive spirit needs to be explained.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I&#39;m fine with whatever Travis Kelce wants to do. He&#39;s earned that right and the Chiefs will honor whatever he decides. However, if he does continue playing, I expect a conversation to be had about his contract. Also, he should be at best the third option behind Rice and Worthy.</p>&mdash; Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkAGunnels/status/1889462432957173893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

They’re not going to do anything about his contract. He will either play one more year or he won’t.

Yup.

Before the team was announced, they had a huddle and PM15 was breakin em and said "....., on 3 ready , etc.

Pretty much dead silence and nothin goin on.

At the time, I thought it might be because of the camera, but later, it seemed a harbinger.

This is horrible. Is he that slow or doesn’t care. Very damning.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Stop blaming Joe Thuney. THIS was the effort Kelce was giving all night...Trent Williams wouldn&#39;t have made a difference at LT. ��*♂️<br><br>Love Kelce but this shit right here is hard to watch. If you can&#39;t get fired up for a 3peat no better than this, it may be time. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChiefsKingdom?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChiefsKingdom</a> <a href="https://t.co/aVd3ZbNdMV">pic.twitter.com/aVd3ZbNdMV</a></p>&mdash; All Chief&#39;d Up! (@AllChiefdUp) <a href="https://twitter.com/AllChiefdUp/status/1889363965957820538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Agreed. Kelce still can be a good option as the #3/4 guy and his leadership. I want one more year.

$19 million cap hit as a #3/4 guy.

I definitely noticed that Mahomes looked like a zombie on the sideline before the game started. I didn't think much of it at the time. The whole offense looked like they got poisoned or their Gatorade was drugged.

This. So freaking tired of people saying he needs to take a pay cut.

1.) He took a pay cut his ENTIRE career. He was a receiver getting paid as a tight end.
2 ) He is the greatest tight end ever and had 97 catches last year (12th in the NFL last season).
3 ) He is still a top 5 TE in the game.
4.) He is the second greatest Chief of all-time.
5.) In the last two years, between Taylor Swift and his podcast, he made Clark Hunt and this franchise hundreds of millions of dollars.

You are really gonna pull this dude in and be like hey listen Trav gonna need you to take an enormous paycut on the deal we agreed upon in what is likely your last year. JFC

Sentimentality is fine, but don’t complain when the Chiefs lack salary cap flexibility with Kelce’s nearly $20 million cap #… 5th highest on the team in 2025.

I really don’t want to buy into excuses or silly theories. But there’s just something about our incredibly rare awful body language and guys looking flat out spent to ask… is it possible there was a bug going around? Given that a few eagles were sick earlier in the week?

Same, to me Mahomes visibly looked exhausted, like he didn't sleep the night before. Travis, too with his posse, probably hard to sleep that night. The offense seemed in a paralysis and the defense decided it was time to have some stupid back breaking penalties.

It's possible. I'm not trying to offer up any theories or excuses. But something definitely seemed different with the team. Maybe just a team that had played 20 games for the past 7 seasons and it finally caught up with them.

Agree.

I just want him to take his conditioning seriously and show up to camp in shape.

If you’re going to play professional football then you need to lose the beer gut. Especially if you’re 35.