NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Kansas City Chiefs fans are usually excited for a playoff run as the regular season comes to a close, but Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium had no such implications as they will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Still, it was an emotional night as a cornerstone of the franchise played perhaps his last home game.
Tight end Travis Kelce walked off the GEHA Field turf after the 20-13 loss with one of those familiar take-it-all moments that veterans who might be ending their storied career do. He high-fived fans as he walked toward the tunnel and probably heard a ton of congratulations, appreciation, and pure admiration despite the outcome of the game.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs is introduced before the game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Eric Thomas/Getty Images)
Kelce, who finished with five catches for 36 yards while quarterback Chris Oladokun played due to multiple knee injuries to Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew, is expected to announce his intentions, if any, to play in 2026.
Retirement has always been on the cards, and he admitted he would let the Chiefs know his intentions before the new league year begins in March.
“A lot of emotions,” Kelce said on the podium during a postgame press conference, according to ESPN. “You have everyone watching you. You get to hang out with the kids on prime-time television. The kids get a chance to get a taste of what life is like in the NFL.”
TRAVIS KELCE REMAINS TOUCHDOWN IN POSSIBLE FINAL HOME GAME AS BRONCOS CLOSELY LEAD
Of course, reporters had to keep track of what Kelce might do with his career.
“I’ll let that be a decision I’ll make with my family, my friends and the Chiefs organization when the time comes,” he responded.
Kelce was introduced before the game along with the rest of his offensive teammates, and the Arrowhead Stadium crowd erupted, understanding the circumstances of what they were potentially witnessing.
It’s those moments from the beginning of his career, which now has three Super Bowl rings on the shelf along with a likely trip to Canton, Ohio, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, that Kelce never takes for granted.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates after running during the first quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 25, 2025. (Denny Medley/Image Images)
“There are only a few where you can stand there and appreciate [60,000]70,000 Chiefs fans cheering you on,” he explained. “I always appreciate that moment.
“You feel the generations of happiness and love that [the fans] have. It’s a beautiful thing, man.”
Kelce’s fiancée, music megastar Taylor Swift, was on hand to watch her future husband in his element in Kansas City for what could be the last time.
Before their relationship took the world by storm, Kelce’s stardom quickly grew on that field, catching 645 passes during Chiefs home games, including many playoff scrambles on his way to Vince Lombardi trophies.
The Chiefs will finish the 2025 season, disappointing by their standards, on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders, where there is a question of whether Kelce will even play. He needs just 10 yards to reach 13,000 in his career.
Combine FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX news, sports and entertainment at our lowest price of the year. Offer ends January 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
If he doesn’t play, Kelce would finish with 839 yards and five touchdowns on 73 receptions in 16 games. And then fans will begin to see what his final career statistics could be, including the second-most receiving yards by a tight end in league history with 12,990.
But currently everything is just potential. Kelce knows a decision must be made, but his time will come as he weighs the pros and cons of playing in what would be his 14th NFL season.
