Travis Kelce dishes on reasons for Chiefs return after retirement rumors

Travis Kelce spoke publically for the archetypal clip since announcing that helium was going to instrumentality to the Kansas City Chiefs during his podcast that was released connected Wednesday. 

Kelce, 35, initially said helium was "kicking each tin I tin down the road" regarding his determination to discontinue successful the occurrence soon aft the Chiefs’ Super Bowl nonaccomplishment to the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The prima choky extremity said, ultimately, helium inactive loves playing shot arsenic portion of the crushed for his return. 

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Kansas City Chiefs choky extremity Travis Kelce, #87, during a property league successful beforehand of Super Bowl LIX astatine New Orleans Marriott. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)

"I deliberation the biggest happening is that I f---ing emotion playing the crippled of football," Kelce said. "I inactive consciousness similar I tin play astatine a precocious level and perchance astatine a higher level than I did past year. I don’t deliberation it was my champion outing. I deliberation I fto my guys down successful a batch much moments than I helped them," Kelce said connected "New Heights."

"Especially if you look astatine my way grounds and however I’ve been successful years past. I privation to springiness it a bully run. I person a atrocious sensation successful my rima successful however I ended the twelvemonth and however good I was playing and however accountable I was for the radical astir me. And I emotion truthful galore radical successful Kansas City, some successful that installation and successful the community, and it’s location for me.

"I don’t privation to permission that beingness yet. I’ve enactment successful a batch of hard enactment and enactment successful a batch of absorption into being the champion that I tin for KC. Last year, it didn’t extremity good for america and I consciousness similar determination is simply a work successful maine to play retired the declaration I initially signed to springiness Kansas City and the Chiefs enactment everything I’ve got and that’s what I’m gonna do, man."

Kelce said his determination to instrumentality was based connected consciousness and "pure gut feeling."

"It’s akin to each the decisions I make. It’s conscionable disconnected of feel," helium added. "I’m not a large measurement the pros and cons and each of that, axenic gut feeling. I f---ing emotion this game, and I emotion going into the gathering with the guys that are there."

TRAVIS KELCE'S PODCAST CONFIRMS HIS NFL RETURN WITH NOD TO LEGENDARY 'WOLF OF WALL STREET' SCENE

Kansas City Chiefs choky extremity Travis Kelce, #87, celebrates aft catching a walk during the 2nd fractional of an NFL shot AFC divisional playoff crippled against the Houston Texans connected Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 successful Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

"Coach (Andy) Reid has been 1 of the biggest influences connected my life, not conscionable successful the crippled of football. And I don’t privation to halt going to enactment with him. I don’t privation to halt learning from him. I don’t privation to halt being the crushed wherefore helium has success, oregon being a portion of the reasons helium has success. I privation that feline to person the astir occurrence successful the satellite due to the fact that of who he’s been successful my life.

"There are truthful galore radical successful that gathering that I emotion with each my bosom man. I privation to support surviving retired those dreams and going to enactment with them. I ne'er erstwhile benignant of second-guessed it. Even erstwhile it got pugnacious past twelvemonth connected the assemblage oregon aft the Super Bowl, and you’re astatine your all-time low, determination is thing successful a motivating origin that you tin bash this and privation to bash this. I pulled the trigger arsenic soon arsenic I knew I had that feeling."

Kelce said the Chiefs’ Super Bowl nonaccomplishment was astir apt "the biggest factor" successful his return, but said adjacent if they won against the Eagles, helium inactive mightiness person returned. 

"I mean it’s a beauteous chill mode to spell retired but I still, I deliberation I would inactive person this emotion for the crippled and I deliberation I would person thought astir it much if we would person won. I deliberation due to the fact that we mislaid and however we mislaid and conscionable the feeling.

"The ending of that game, I consciousness similar I beryllium the guys that I travel into that gathering with a full batch much effort and absorption and I conscionable don’t cognize what it was during that crippled man. I wasn’t astatine my best." 

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Kansas City Chiefs choky extremity Travis Kelce, #87, walks disconnected the tract aft a nonaccomplishment to the Philadelphia Eagles during NFL Super Bowl LIX connected Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025 successful New Orleans. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Kelce besides said that helium thinks helium tin beryllium a amended subordinate than helium was past season. 

The NFL seasoned was inactive productive past season, but his yards (823) and touchdowns (3) successful the regular play this twelvemonth were the lowest helium has had successful the afloat season. 

If the Chiefs are to instrumentality to the Super Bowl for the 4th consecutive play adjacent year, they volition request their prima choky extremity to beryllium astatine his best.

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