Everyone has an opinion on the 35-year-old, who is coming off, statistically, the worst season of his career since becoming the starter for the Kansas City Chiefs. As he authors the final pages for the story of his football career, Kelce’s retirement continues to be a topic.
In an interview with USA TODAY’s Mackenzie Salmon, former NFL tight end and current Fox Sports broadcaster Greg Olsen spoke about Kelce’s future.
‘He’s got the world at his fingertips,’ Olsen said. ‘I think he’s one of the unique guys that’s gonna be able to control how he leaves the game and when. And that’s not the reality for most guys.’
Kelce, who will turn 36 in October, is coming off a bad season by his standards. He totaled 97 receptions, 823 yards and only three touchdowns. While that may be a career-year for some, it continued a downward trend that began following the 2023 season.
Despite that reality, Olsen highlighted how he was also 36 in his last season, noting that he wasn’t as productive as Kelce has been at this stage.
‘He was highly productive last year,’ Olsen said. ‘I think we’ve kind of gotten spoiled that we think every year he’s gonna have twelve-hundred yards and 10 touchdowns. And I don’t think people realize just how hard that is. I wouldn’t put a limit on anything he does.’
He added that he could call it quits after this upcoming season or play a few more years.
Olsen maintained that Kelce has done enough throughout his career to be afforded the opportunity to leave when he wants to. Retirement talk has been a common theme throughout the Chiefs’ run of success, especially in the lead-up to Super Bowl 59 before they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now with training camp around the corner, even quarterback Patrick Mahomes is being asked about Kelce’s future.
‘If it’s the last ride, you would never know,’ Mahomes said in a press conference Thursday. ‘The way he’s talking about football, the way he’s talking about working and trying to be even better this year than he was last year. He doesn’t seem like a guy that, it’s his last ride or he’s tired of the job. He’s in here, he’s working. I know his body feels good. I think it feels better than even last year before going into last season. I think he’s motivated to go out there and have an even better year.’
Kelce appeared to truly debate walking away from the game this offseason but elected to return for another season. He spoke about that decision during the March 5 episode of his ‘New Heights’ podcast with his brother, Jason.
‘I think the biggest thing is that I (expletive) love playing the game of football,’ Kelce said. ‘I love playing. I still feel like I can play it at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don’t think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them, especially if you look at my track record and how I’ve been in years past. I want to give it a good run. I got a bad taste in my mouth in how I ended the year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was to the people around me.’
Of course, the Chiefs have played a lot of football over the years and the miles can begin to add up.
It’s not out of the question that Kelce’s drop in production could be attributed in part to fatigue, especially given the attention he receives from defenses every week.
All eyes will be on Kelce as he enters his 13th season NFL season and 12th as the starter, which will be the final year of his current contract. It carries a $19.8 million cap hit for 2025, according to Spotrac. Having already accomplished so much, these final years can be about chasing more rings and putting a bow on a great career.
He’s a three-time Super Bowl champion, a four-time All-Pro and has been selected to the Pro Bowl 10 times. He’s a lock for the Hall of Fame and statistically ranks amongst the best tight ends in NFL history – No. 3 in receptions (1,004) and yards (12,151), despite playing just 11 seasons as the Chiefs primary starter at the position.
Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten, the two who rank above Kelce in those categories, each finished their careers with 16 seasons as a starter.
Off the field, Kelce is one-half of arguably the biggest celebrity couples going right now given his relationship with Taylor Swift. He has a successful podcast with his brother, helping him maintain his media presence.
Retirement will continue to be a storyline on the field. Off of it, however, Kelce appears to just be getting started.