Travis Kelce’s future within the NFL is up for debate — and now his older brother, Jason Kelce, is including gasoline to the retirement rumors.
Hypothesis intensified after the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs had been knocked out of Tremendous Bowl rivalry following a Dec. 14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, marking the staff’s first missed playoff run in a decade. The disappointing season has many questioning if Travis, who has beforehand admitted he typically thinks about retiring, may very well be able to step away from soccer. At 36, he’s older than the typical NFL retirement age, and he’s additionally had a front-row seat to his brother Jason’s seemingly fulfilling life since retiring from the league in 2024.
Whereas Jason didn’t reveal what Travis plans to do subsequent, he admitted he’s “curious” about what his youthful brother is pondering — and inspired him to take his time earlier than making any large choices.
“In my view, to nail that call, you’ve received to step away from the sport for a bit of bit,” Jason stated throughout a Dec. 15 look on ESPN’s Monday Night time Soccer.
The Chiefs nonetheless have just a few regular-season video games left, regardless of being out of the Tremendous Bowl race, and Jason urged Travis to deal with them as significant moments — no matter what the long run holds.
“Play these final three video games, take pleasure in them together with your teammates, take pleasure in that together with your coaches,” Jason stated. “The staff’s going to be totally different whether or not you come again or not subsequent 12 months. So, take pleasure in these final three video games after which let it sink in. It’ll come to you with time.”
Jason additionally famous that feelings are inclined to run excessive instantly after a tricky season, particularly one stuffed with ups and downs, making it troublesome to suppose clearly about long-term choices.
“There’s so many feelings with this sport proper after a season, particularly with the way in which this one’s been,” he defined. “It’s been so up and down … They’ve been shut and proper now, it’s too recent. You bought to step away from it, you bought to consider it. Then, it’ll come to you.”
Whereas lots of Travis’ buddies have stated that he “lives within the second,” the star athlete has been candid about how typically retirement crosses his thoughts. In a 2023 interview with The Wall Road Journal, Travis admitted the bodily toll of soccer weighs closely on him.
“That’s the one factor I’ve by no means actually been open about,” he stated. “The discomfort. The ache. The lingering accidents—the ten surgical procedures I’ve had that I nonetheless really feel each single surgical procedure to today.”
