Rapaport: Kelce undecided about future, may retire after Super Bowl

[SHOWTIME]

Let's win this for Travis...

From The Insiders in New Orleans: #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce could be playing in his final game on Sunday, as he’s undecided on his future. pic.twitter.com/xQbaMnfO6s

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 9, 2025

[Fishels]

Not getting the threepeat for Trav is really going to haunt me.

Make fun of me if you wish, but I still think Mahomes could go back to back and have another chance one day.

I’m really hoping for one more year. I don’t care much if it’s a bad year. To end like that just doesn’t feel right. But obviously my opinion means nothing to the man himself. But Mahomes not throwing to 87? Makes me feel sick

[Fishels]

Originally Posted by comochiefsfan

I will say, it would be special if we got one more year.

Even if he doesn’t say that next year is it, we’ll all know it will be and it would be incredibly cool to send him off at Arrowhead one final time when all the fans know it’s his last game.

Plus if we get a farewell tour maybe the NFL will gift us a Jerome Bettis, Ray Lewis, Peyton Manning style send off Super Bowl.

Such a shame Mahomes and him have an age difference. Imagine if trav was just now turning 30? The league would be ****ed

[Titty Meat]

I'm wondering if he's burnt out could he pull a Gronk and come back in a year?

[Titty Meat]

Actually just looked at it Witten actually retired for a year and came back played 2 more years retired at the same age as Kelce

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

I'm wondering if he's burnt out could he pull a Gronk and come back in a year?

It’s not a bad idea. Or pull a Chris jones, except in partnership with the chiefs. Where they agree to let him skip the preseason and maybe even a few games. And the goal is purely to get a fresh energized kelce ramped up by end of season. It’s not a gronk situation where his body is finished. It’s kelces head right now and he has unfinished business

With the way he’s getting trashed on social media, he needs to lean hard into the burnout. But man I also don’t think he can hear that chirping and end his career that way. And he deserves a proper hero’s send off not just one that ends abruptly.From there, for gods sake if (and hopefully when) he comes back, cut back on all the reps including into the playoffs.

[SHOWTIME]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

It’s not a bad idea. Or pull a Chris jones, except in partnership with the chiefs. Where they agree to let him skip the preseason and maybe even a few games. And the goal is purely to get a fresh energized kelce ramped up by end of season. It’s not a gronk situation where his body is finished. It’s kelces head right now and he has unfinished business

With the way he’s getting trashed on social media, he needs to lean hard into the burnout. But man I also don’t think he can hear that chirping and end his career that way. And he deserves a proper hero’s send off not just one that ends abruptly.From there, for gods sake if (and hopefully when) he comes back, cut back on all the reps including into the playoffs.

Kelce retiring would save $17M in cap space. The Chiefs would have to reinvent their offense without him and rely more on Worthy, Rice, etc. I think Noah Gray could step up and "replace" him to the extent that he can be a productive TE in this offense.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by SHOWTIME

Kelce retiring would save $17M in cap space. The Chiefs would have to reinvent their offense without him and rely more on Worthy, Rice, etc. I think Noah Gray could step up and "replace" him to the extent that he can be a productive TE in this offense.

Kelce holding out or restructuring to a contract with a mutual agreement on some kind of holdout would also accomplish that. Especially as that would mean slow ramp up of reps until mid to late season. And again, we save on cap but the team also loses $300m of the value kelce brings to the franchise. Keep him and load up on some guaranteed contracts while you have this unicorn who gives you lots of cash on hand.

[chiefzilla1501]

I also love the idea of taking a year off. Give us the cap relief, let kelce recharge, and use this year for a reset. Trade a few guys, stockpile those comp picks. But he can’t go out this way and I’d also hate for us to just lose him when he still has a lot to contribute.

[Cheater5]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

Actually just looked at it Witten actually retired for a year and came back played 2 more years retired at the same age as Kelce

And had 63 rec for 530 yards, then 13 for 69 in 13 games his final year, albeit with the Raiders.

[Rainbarrel]

It when it starts to go, it doesn't maintain a level. It's called decline for a reason. It will just be sad to see

[crayzkirk]

Originally Posted by DRM08

Void Years allow you to cheat the cap. The Chiefs don’t really play that Void Year game, but other teams like Philadelphia have been doing it for many years.

I've read a little about the void years in a contract. I don't really understand how it works, can someone provide an example of it? How does it allow teams to cheat or appear to cheat the cap?

[Chiefnj2]

He sounded done in the New Heights podcast and made it sound like he wasn't having any fun anymore. He seemed really dejected his last game will be a loss, as opposed to angry and wanting to come back again.

[seamonster]

Originally Posted by crayzkirk

I've read a little about the void years in a contract. I don't really understand how it works, can someone provide an example of it? How does it allow teams to cheat or appear to cheat the cap?

From what I can see it's a dangerous game where a GM spreads a players cap hit across later years in the contract called "void years". Once those void years hit the player can literally give up on the team and sign somewhere else. The GM and team at that point are ****ed and have to eat the dead cap money and are hamstrung. Russian roulette. Eagles have gotten lucky as all hell with this but I can guarantee you that with their dbag coach and their emotionally coddled stars that at some point this house of cards can fall and they'll be paying AJ Brown to catch balls for the Cowboys or somebody. I can see why a team like the Chiefs would avoid this.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

He sounded done in the New Heights podcast and made it sound like he wasn't having any fun anymore. He seemed really dejected his last game will be a loss, as opposed to angry and wanting to come back again.

I think he's just emotional right now. I wouldn't put too much into anything he says right now one way or the other.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by TEX

I think he's just emotional right now. I wouldn't put too much into anything he says right now one way or the other.

Yup. A lot of this sounds very similar to how Jason sounded right after losing the Super Bowl and everyone thought he was going to retire . It’s gonna be way worse now than it will feel a few weeks from none