Travis Kelce, the star of the Chiefs, is contemplating life after football while also making plans for his future with Taylor Swift.
There aren’t many athletes who can claim that they had a better year than Travis Kelce, both in their sport and personally speaking, as they reflect on 2023.
Looking back at what has been, without a shadow of a doubt, at the most intense 12 months of the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s career, Travis first came to attention when he and his older brother, Jason, a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, became the first pair of siblings to play each other in Super Bowl history.
Dubbed as the ‘Kelce Bowl’, NFL fans witnessed a spectacle at State Farm Stadium – home of the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale – as Travis and Patrick Mahomes lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the second time in three seasons after winning their first title together in 2019.
This season, Travis continues to prove why he belongs in the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team, as he broke the Chiefs franchise record for career receiving yards against the Miami Dolphins in November. He also became the fastest tight end to reach 11,000 career receiving yards, and is on the verge of having the most 1,000+ yard seasons among current and retired players in his position (eight).
And things have been going well off the field, too. Travis is dating Taylor Swift, with the couple going from strength to strength, although some have been pointing fingers at the pop star for the Chiefs enduring a recent wobble in form.
So after an eventful year which saw him reach more highs than lows, what can we expect from Trav’ in 2024? Here, DailyMail.com takes a look at what’s to come for the Chiefs’ No. 87.
Travis Kelce has a lot of thinking to do regardless of the Chiefs reaching the Super Bowl again
Travis is said to have ‘big plans’ for himself and Taylor in 2024, starting in the offseason in Feb.
Travis, 35, made a lot more media appearances in 2023 than he did through most of his career
Early Retirement
Let’s start with perhaps the touchiest of possibilities – Travis retiring just a year shy from 35, that is. Oh, to be 22, again…
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the eight-time Pro Bowler admitted that he’s becoming more and more aware of the pain and injuries his body sustains from playing week in and week out for six months from September to February.
‘That’s the only thing I’ve never really been open about, the discomfort. The pain,’ Travis said in November. ‘The lingering injuries — the 10 surgeries I’ve had that I still feel every single surgery to this day.’
But, four months prior to opening up on how he manifested the best year of his life to WSJ, Travis said he won’t step away from football, simply because he’s entering his mid-30s.
‘Till the wheels fall off, baby,’ Kelce said at Chiefs mandatory minicamp in June. ‘I love this game. I know I’m going to miss it when I’m done playing.’
Travis admitted to still feeling the 10 surgeries he’s had ‘to this day’ after 11 seasons in the NFL
Finishing his career back in his hometown
In a world full of surprises, who could possibly imagine Travis donning another NFL team’s jersey other than the Chiefs’ almighty red, white and gold colors?
Well, despite being a loyal servant to Kansas City, the team that drafted him in 2013 and for who he has played on for 11 seasons, Travis revealed his childhood dream of playing for the Cleveland Browns in the fall, having been raised in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
He made the confession on his ‘New Heights’ podcast with rapper-rocker Machine Gun Kelly, also a Cleveland native, who offered Travis a $500,000 in cash to gear up in his hometown’s gear before calling time on his career.
‘I’ll tell you what, man, that’s an intriguing offer – an intriguing offer,’ Travis said in response to MGK’s bid to bring him back to his roots. ‘Because you know how much we love the east side of Cleveland. You already know, brother.’
Only time will tell…
Hailing from Westlake, Ohio, Travis once admitted to wanting to playing for the Browns as a kid
Playing on… and on!
As Travis continues to produce at a historically high level, there is no ruling out that he could last longer in the league than most tight ends.
Like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Jerry Rice, he’s more likely the exception to the rule as a statistical anomaly than a player that is followed for expected production at a specific age.
Tight ends like Travis or four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski proved that age is just a number, as the Chiefs’ No. 87 broke several franchise and league records in his 30’s, like being the first player in his position with multiple 100+ catch seasons in NFL history in 2020.
This season, Travis tied a career high with 12 receptions in a Chiefs win against the L.A. Chargers in Week 7. He also had 179 receiving yards, the second highest of his career. In the Chiefs week 9 game vs. the Dolphins, he broke the Chiefs franchise record for career receiving yards, surpassing Tony Gonzalez.
Travis now has 904 catches for his career. Those catches have totaled 11,312 yards.
Not bad, Trav’…