NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Kansas City Chiefs fans are usually excited for the playoffs as the regular season comes to a close, but Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium didn’t have those implications as they won’t be making the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Still, it was an emotional evening as the franchise cornerstone may have played his last game at home.
Tight end Travis Kelce left the GEHA Field grass after the 20-13 loss with one of those all-too-familiar moments veterans do that could end their storied careers. He waved to the fans as he made his way to the tunnel and probably heard a bunch of congratulations, appreciation and pure admiration despite the outcome of the match.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs is shown before the game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Eric Thomas/Getty Images)
Kelce, who finished with five catches for 36 yards while third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun played through multiple knee injuries to Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew, is expected to announce his intention, if any, to play in 2026.
Retirement was always on the cards, and he admitted he would make his intentions known to the Chiefs before the new league year began in March.
“A lot of emotions,” Kelce said from the podium during a postgame press conference, according to ESPN. “Everybody in the world is watching you. You get to go out there with the kids on prime-time television. The kids get an opportunity to taste what that NFL life is like.”
TRAVIS KELCE HOLDS NO TOUCH IN POSSIBLE HOME FINAL GAME AS BRONCOS ARE NARROWLY LEADERS
Of course, reporters had to track what Kelce might do with his career.
“It’s a decision I will make with my family, friends and the Chiefs organization when the time comes,” he responded.
Kelce was introduced before the game with the rest of his offensive teammates, and the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium erupted, understanding the circumstances of what they were potentially witnessing.
It’s these moments from the very beginning of his career, which now has three Super Bowl rings in store as well as a likely trip to Canton, Ohio, to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, that Kelce never takes for granted.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates after running during the first quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 25, 2025. (Denny Medley/Imagn Images)
“You only have a few where you can stand there and enjoy [60,000]“, 70,000 Chiefs fans cheering you on,” he said. “I always enjoy this moment.
“You feel the generations of happiness and the love that [the fans] to have. It’s a beautiful thing, man.”
Kelce’s fiancée, music megastar Taylor Swift, was on hand to watch her future husband in his element in Kansas City for what could be the last time.
Before their relationship took the world by storm, Kelce’s stardom grew quickly on that field, catching 645 passes during Chiefs home games, including numerous playoff battles en route to Vince Lombardi trophies.
The Chiefs will finish the 2025 season, disappointing by their standards, on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders, where it’s questionable if Kelce will even play. He only needs 10 yards to reach 13,000 for his career.
Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. Offer ends January 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
If he doesn’t play, Kelce would finish with 839 yards and five touchdowns on 73 catches in 16 games. And then fans will start looking at what his final career stats might be, including the second-most receiving yards by a tight end in league history with 12,990.
But for now, this is all just potential. Kelce knows a decision has to be made, but it will be his turn as he considers the pros and cons of playing in what would be his 14th season in the NFL.
