What better way to cap the career of one of the best tight ends in NFL history than with a record-breaking three-peat? According to one analyst, yes.
Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, has been the focus of retirement speculations throughout the season.
Many people are wondering if the 35-year-old will think about hanging up his boots after the 2024 season ends because of his decline in output this season.
Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky stated on ESPN’s First Take that he thinks it’s “very real” that Kelce will end his career after winning a third championship.
‘Kelce is fully capable of being the difference-maker. I think he’s got one great run left,’ Orlovsky said.
‘I think if he goes and has that vintage Kelce performance, which I fully, one, think he’s capable of, and two, will do, and they go on and three-peat, I think retirement becomes a very real thing for Travis Kelce.
‘There would be nothing else to accomplish. He’d be arguably the greatest tight end of all time. He would be the tight end that was part of [Chiefs] only three-peat in the history of the NFL.
‘He’s obviously later in his career. I don’t think there would be anything left. And I think he’s got one, elite, great, difference-maker, vintage, ‘Oh my Gosh, he did it again’ run left in him.’
As he embarks on a media tour ahead of Kansas City’s playoff opener against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional round this weekend, Kelce has been responding to the reports that he is retiring all week.
‘I love everything that I’m doing … but at the end of the day, I’m not having that extreme success on the field,’ Kelce said on ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show’. ‘I’m excited for these next couple of games … to finish this season off.
‘I’ll re-evaluate it like I always do, [and] I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing, and I’ll come back next year.’
Kelce also says he’s felt nothing but fully supported by his pop star girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
‘She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game,’ Kelce told Smith, adding, ‘I got all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams.’
The campaign began slowly for Kelce, and he ended up having one of his lowest productivity seasons ever.
Both his 823 receiving yards and his three touchdown receptions were the lowest totals since his rookie season.
Many NFL observers speculated that the 35-year-old could be better off ending his career after this season due to this difficult start.
Other analysts suggested that Kelce’s dip was caused by his jet-setting lifestyle, blaming him for his offseason partying.
However, when the Chiefs meet Houston on Saturday, Kelce, who is renowned for his playoff success, will have the opportunity to dispel the early-season myths.
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