Travis Kelce got real about what retiring from the NFL would look like for him.
Travis, 36, opened up about what he’s going to miss the most about playing for the Kansas City Chiefs during a Wednesday, March 4, episode of his “New Heights” podcast, which he cohosts with brother Jason Kelce.
“Man, I think it’s just those moments in the big games,” Travis said. “The feeling of having to rise to the occasion, be there for 70,000 [fans] that are all counting on you out there, outside of the guys you go to war with, the guys you go to battle with.”
Travis, who has played for the Chiefs since 2013 when he was 23 years old, added, “Those moments of rising to the occasion in the heat of the battle — in the playoffs and all the big games — that’s a feeling I know I’ll never get again.”
The All-Pro player also noted that those are the moments he “cherishes the most.” “Especially if you’re fortunate enough to be in the playoffs and make runs at it — the satisfaction that you get and the successful feeling you get of all the hard work that you put in, it’s finally paying off,” he explained. “I think that’ll be one of the things I miss the most, for sure.”
Jason, 38, also shared what he misses most about the NFL after retiring in 2024. “I knew I was gonna miss competing and playing and game day. What I didn’t know I was gonna miss was the locker room,” he said.
“Everybody tells you [that] you’re gonna miss it, but it’s hard to be removed [enough] from it to understand that there ain’t anything else that replicates this.” He went on to say that the locker room is so special because it’s filled with “guys from all over the country coming together for a specific task.”
“That ends up being for sure what I miss the most,” Jason added. “Just being in the locker room with the guys. I purposefully go back to try and get that. I also miss the regimen of it. I’m happy I don’t have it, but there’s a productivity in my head that every day I know I’m gonna go in, I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna lift and then I’m gonna go out on game day and dominate.”
Travis has not yet announced whether he plans to return for a 14th season. In December 2025, he opened up about the subject during a press conference.
“Typically, we go in and we don’t know when it’s going to end,” he said. “That’s the beauty of it. Just trying to make sure everybody here knows I’m focused on trying to win football games these last three games.”
That same month, he told NFL star Tony Gonzalez during a pregame interview that he was still “searching for those answers.”
“I feel like I have a lot of love for this game. If I came back it’d just be to answer that flame that I still love this thing,” he shared. “If it was just Sundays, I could play till I was 50. Obviously, there’s so much that goes into it. Arrowhead being Arrowhead, the atmosphere [and] playing in front of them, those will be memories that I cherish [when] I’m old and gray. … It’s special, man, and I love playing for them.”
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