KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Saying, “I’ve no cause to cease taking part in soccer,” Travis Kelce indicated Thursday that he intends to play in 2024 for the Chiefs.
“I like [playing with the Chiefs],” Kelce mentioned. “We nonetheless have success, are available in with the best mindset, and I simply love the problem that it provides me each single day to attempt to be at my greatest.
“I’ve no need to cease anytime quickly.”
Kelce, who turned 34 in October, mentioned that he has given retirement some thought however that he was by no means critical sufficient about it to ponder what he may do if he weren’t taking part in for the Chiefs.
“I have been lucky to do just a few issues exterior of the sports activities world that I have been having fun with doing, like getting on digicam,” Kelce mentioned. “The [‘Saturday Night Live’] stuff form of opened up a brand new happiness and possibly a brand new profession path for me.
“But it surely’s humorous for me to even say that at this level in my profession. I believe it is a lot additional down the highway than it’s proper now.”
Kelce had his streak of seven straight 1,000-yard seasons, a document for a good finish, snapped this season when he completed 16 yards brief. He might have performed in final weekend’s ultimate regular-season sport towards the Chargers, however opted as a substitute to affix Patrick Mahomes, Isiah Pacheco and others in taking the week off.
The Chiefs had clinched the AFC West championship and the convention’s third playoff seed the earlier week.
“I simply did not care sufficient about [1,000 yards],” Kelce mentioned. “I felt like I might get some relaxation and let the blokes go on the market and simply play the sport as a substitute of worrying about getting this outdated man 16 yards. Simply by no means felt proper.”
It was a special form of season for the Chiefs, who, at 11-6, misplaced extra video games than in every other season since 2017. As an alternative of getting a prolific passing assault and a high-scoring offense, the Chiefs completed fifteenth in scoring and have been carried largely not by Mahomes and Kelce however by their protection.
Kelce referred to as this season “a special journey” however one he loved.
“It is a new problem to seek out methods to get open,” Kelce mentioned. “It is a new problem to seek out methods to get wins. I believe I went as much as [defensive end Charles] Omenihu after one sport or throughout one sport and mentioned, ‘Man, we have simply received to grow to be a staff that simply grinds these video games out.’
“I believe you are at all times making an attempt to problem your self to get again to that success as a result of these are the expectations you set for your self. So it is not simply accepting it, it is nonetheless making an attempt to get to these targets, however on the identical time perceive situational soccer in the direction of the tip of the video games and be there when your staff wants you probably the most.”
In the meantime, coach Andy Reid, who turns 66 in March, mentioned he hadn’t considered whether or not he would retire on the finish of the season.
“I figured that will come up … as a result of I am outdated,” Reid mentioned. “However I am not that outdated.”