ESPN star warns Chiefs' Travis Kelce about turning into 'diminishing player' ahead of eventual retirement
2025-02-12
Category: sports

The Kansas City Chiefs' bid for a third consecutive Super Bowl title came to an abrupt end Sunday. The Chiefs' offense was mostly ineffective against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.&nbsp; Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and finished the game with 257 passing yards. Travis Kelce, one of Mahomes' most trusted targets, accounted for just 39 of those yards.&nbsp; The Super Bowl loss also brought Kelce's 12th NFL season to a disappointing end. He finished the regular season with 823 receiving yards, which marked the second consecutive year the star tight end did not reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark.&nbsp; CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM  He will also celebrate his 36th birthday during the 2025 season. While Kelce did receive Pro Bowl honors for a tenth straight year and remains a productive player, his age and lackluster showing in the big game continued to fuel questions about when he may decide to step away from the game. Last month, during an appearance on "The Stephen A. Smith Show," Kelce admitted his thoughts on retirement tend to fluctuate, but he plans to "reevaluate" during the offseason. As the Chiefs' offseason begins, former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark cited Jason Kelce's dilemma after last season and compared it to his brother's current situation. EAGLES' JALEN HURTS, NICK SIRIANNI PRAISE GOD AFTER WINNING SUPER BOWL LIX: 'THANKS TO HIM' "Isn’t Trav sort of in the same place our colleague and friend, his brother, Jason Kelce, was in last year?" Clark asked. "Still feeling like you can still do it and you still have it, but you know you don’t have it like you used to. And it's gonna be based on whether or not Travis Kelce understands he’s a diminished player and is comfortable with that." After the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs last season, reports surfaced that Jason informed his teammates he had decided to retire. Several weeks later, the offensive lineman confirmed his retirement in an emotional speech.&nbsp;  "When you’re at the highest of highs, when you’re the best pass-catching tight end in the history of the National Football League, it’s hard to go into a game last night, have two drops, not have any impactful catches or impact on the game," Clark said. "Can Travis Kelce go forward in 2025 and be that person? Especially when so many lucrative opportunities await him in his second career."  Kelce's four receptions Sunday were enough to secure the record for most career Super Bowl catches with 35. Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice held the previous mark with 33. Kelce has also recorded more postseason receptions than any other Chiefs player in history.  Clark suggested Kelce would weigh the "sort of player he wants to be" before making a final decision about retirement. "Travis Kelce is going to have to take some time, sit down and know what sort of player he wants to be and what sort of life he wants to live, but he’s earned the right to take his time in doing so," Clark added. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Kelce has 12,151 career receiving yards and 77 touchdowns in 12 NFL regular seasons.&nbsp; Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.