Chiefs owner issues update on Travis Kelce retirement amid Pro Bowl decision

Clark Hunt has spoken out on Travis Kelce.

The Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO made an appearance on Good Morning Football on Tuesday, where he discussed the question that is on many NFL fans’ lips: Will Kelce retire?

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All season long, speculation has surrounded the Chiefs tight end on whether he will decide to walk away from football at the young age of 36.

Widely touted as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, Kelce’s numbers have declined over the past two season.

In the 2025 campaign, Patrick Mahomes‘ No. 1 target had just 851 yards and five touchdowns as Kansas City failed to reach the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2014 after a 6-11 record.

Clark Hunt addresses Travis Kelce retirement rumors

But Hunt remains optimistic that Kelce will return for the 2026 season.

“As an organisation we certainly hope he’ll come back,” Hunt said on GMFB.

“He had another great year, had over 800 yards and was one of our leaders on the offensive side of the ball.

“We are being respectful and giving him the time he needs to make a decision.

“He’s got a busy off season with his wedding. We’ll be respectful but we certainly hope that he’ll be back.”

It will certainly be a busy off-season for Kelce as he mulls over how last season ended, losing his long-time teammate Mahomes to a devastating ACL injury, as well as getting married to global music sensation Taylor Swift.

Based on Kelce’s most recent comments amid the growing uncertainty of his future, it appears that he has still yet to come to a final decision.

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“Now that the season is over, what is next for the Big Yeti?” Kelce’s brother Jason asked him in an early January episode of the New Heights podcast.

“How every season ends for me,” Travis, who joked he was ‘jobless’ at the start of the episode, responded. “I’ll put my feet up and I’ll just be a human.

“Just being a regular human for a couple weeks, maybe a month or so, and try to figure out what I’m going to do next in terms of my future in football.

“You know, I’ve talked to a few people in the facility already, having the exit meetings and everything, and they know where I stand at least right now.

“There’s a lot of love for the game that’s still there, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that.

“It’s a tough thing to navigate, but at the same time, if my body can heal up and rest up and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18, 20, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat.

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“So I think right now it’s just finding that answer and seeing how the body feels after this game and kind of when it all settles down.”

Kelce snubs Pro Bowl

One thing Kelce won’t be doing, though, is playing in the Pro Bowl this year.

The 11-time Pro Bowler pulled out of the all-star event due to be held in San Francisco on February 3, which has some believing that it has something to do with him weighing up retirement.

It is clear that the Chiefs organization would love Kelce to return for 2026, with him having been instrumental to their three-time Super Bowl-winning dynasty.

But the final decision ultimately lies with Kelce, who has already given 13 years to the game he loves and has a career in TV seemingly waiting for him.

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