At 36, Travis Kelce has reached an advanced athletic stage. However, there is no real evidence to imply that he intends to retire from the Kansas City Chiefs.
In fact, Kelce laid out certain conditions that would compel him to return, as he said on his New Heights Podcast with his brother Jason Kelce. If he has the confidence and ability to recover smoothly, then he would.
Additionally, the Chiefs' bringing back OC Eric Bieniemy to the staff gave Kelce enough excitement about what lies ahead.
On Thursday, Pat McAfee discussed the possibility that Kelce would return to his show, per The Pat McAfee Show. Essentially, based on all the evidence available, he is coming back, said McAfee, as well as co-host A.J. Hawk.
“He's allowed to make any decision he wants,” McAfee said. “He's earned it, and obviously, he can make any announcement he wants. But him saying that and that going out, he knows that people are going to immediately think to themselves, wait, you are going to be back in the building then? That's what that means. We're excited for that. We would like for the Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes show to roll along. But we understand that life after ball is certainly waiting, and I think it's going to be fantastic.”
It sounds like Travis Kelce is gonna be BACK in the Kansas City Chiefs building 👀👀 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/CDnCUdGOrm
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 22, 2026
Off the field, Kelce is in his prime. He is engaged to Taylor Swift, the New Heights Podcast is booming in popularity, and he is extremely marketable on a multitude of levels.
The Chiefs are coming off a disappointing 6-11 season and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Plus, Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
Kelce and company led Kansas City to three Super Bowls (2020, 2023, 2024).
