Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce has decided to return for another NFL season, shutting down retirement rumors that swirled after a disappointing Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kelce Watch is officially over, people.
You can’t really blam him. One of the all-time greats at the position surely did not want to ride off after a 40-22 beatdown in which he only caught 4 passes for 39 yards.
He even alludes to that in a statement to ESPN personality Pat McAfee.
“I’m coming back, for sure,” Kelce said. “Going to try and get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountain top.”
“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. I can’t go out like that.”
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Taylor Swift Helped Travis Kelce With His Decision
None of that is particularly surprising. Travis Kelce listened to advice from many people in his circle, no doubt – Jason Kelce, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Roger Goodell.
Yeah, you just know the last guy on that list interjected when Kelce and the Taylor Swift romance was a huge cash boon for the league.
Speaking of Swift, Kelce’s girlfriend, it’s being reported that she helped Trav make his retirement decision. And it involves some of the most absurd reasoning you’d expect from the pop star.
It’s utterly amazing that I’m even typing this. But Swift apparently has a favorite number—13. And Kelce, should he play in 2025, would be competing in his 13th season.
“He has mentioned that he isn’t very superstitious, but he has discussed with Taylor that this year would be his 13th year in the NFL, her favorite number, and they have talked about how cool it would be for him to play this year, and if it were to be his last, how poetic that would be for them,” a source told the Daily Mail.
Travis Kelce is returning for his 13th season, per multiple reports pic.twitter.com/1wYi7WI56O
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 27, 2025
RELATED: Travis Kelce Slapped With Deadline – Chiefs Demand He Make Retirement Decision Before March 14
Obsessed With The Number
Making a career decision based on a favorite number seems about as entirely made up as the NFL fabricating interest in the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift romance in the first place.
That said, the woman does seem pretty obsessed with 13.
“The significance of the number 13 on my hand … I paint this on my hand before every show because 13 is my lucky number; for a lot of reasons,” Swift told MTV a couple of years ago. “It’s really weird.”
“I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first No. 1 song had a 13-second intro. Every time I’ve won an award I’ve been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter.”
She’s right. It is pretty weird. And completely made up.
Kelce’s going to be miffed when he comes back next season and grabs 13 catches in his first 13 games for 130 yards.
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