The Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce confirmed over the weekend that he will not be retiring. Old Trav and his haircut will be around for at least one more season.
Naturally, people have been curious as to what Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes thinks about getting his favorite target back – and he’s excited.
Mahomes Celebrates After Kelce Doesn’t Retire
Kelce, 35, revealed to ESPN host Pat McAfee over the weekend that he will not be retiring after the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles in devastating fashion last month.
“I’m coming back, for sure,” Kelce told McAfee via text. “Gonna try and get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop.
“Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle,” he added. “I can’t go out like that!!!!”
Mahomes, 29, responded to this announcement by posting a GIF of NBA legend Michael Jordan’s bodyguard John Michael Wozniak giving a joyful shrug.
Clearly, Mahomes is overjoyed to have Kelce on his team for another season. You can’t blame him – despite a relatively disappointing season for Kelce’s standards, the two have combined for some 1,000 or so receptions, 75 touchdowns, and 12,000 yards since Mahomes took over in 2017.
Mahomes Talks Kelce
After losing the Super Bowl, Mahomes was asked if he knows whether or not Kelce plans to retire.
“I’ll let Travis make that decision on his own, man,” Mahomes told ABC News in response. “He’s given so much to this team and to the NFL and been such a joy not only for me to work with, but for people to watch.”
“He knows he still has a lot of football left in him. You can see it. He always makes plays in the biggest moments,” he continued. “It’s if he wants to put in that grind, cause it’s a grind to go out there and play 20 games.”
Mahomes went on to say that whether Kelce retires or not, he’s cemented his legacy as a Hall of Fame player.
“He knows, he’ll come back here with welcome arms,” Mahomes concluded. “We love that guy not only for the football player, but the person that he is every single day.”
Related: The Chiefs Have a New Excuse For Travis Kelce’s Bad Performance In The Super Bowl
Kelce Admittedly Considered Retiring
Immediately after losing the Super Bowl, Kelce admitted that he wasn’t sure if he’d play another season.
“I think I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” Kelce said on his New Heights podcast. “I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, it’s gonna be something that it’s a wholehearted decision and I’m not half-assing it. I’m fully here for them and I think I could play, it’s just whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”
“I’ve been fortunate over the past five, six years — I’ve played more football than anybody,” he continued. “And it’s because the people that are in that building and the fact that we keep going to these AFC Championships and these Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league. That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body and it’s a lot of time spent in the building focusing on your craft, focusing on the task at hand … and that process can be grueling. It can weigh on you.”
Kelce is arguably the most famous name in football right now. It will certainly be interesting to see how the upcoming NFL season goes for him and the Chiefs!
More about:NFL News