Tony Gonzalez celebrates Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce with a candid chat about what could be star’s swan song
Don’t miss this moment between two Kansas City Chiefs legends.
Kansas City Chiefs royalty Tony Gonzalez and Travis Kelce sat down for an interview at 1587 Prime on Christmas Eve ahead of the team’s Week 17 tilt against the Denver Broncos — and what could be Kelce’s final game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
It was less an interview and more a candid chat between two people who have a great deal of admiration for each other.
Travis Kelce blames himself for the Chiefs’ 2025 failures
When Gonzalez asked Kelce about the challenging 2025 NFL season, which will see the Chiefs miss the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, his answer wasn’t what you’d expect.
“You know, we got a lot of unbelievable people and people with great integrity in the building,” Kelce said. “So, you know, it makes it a little bit easier to finish out this year knowing that the people that we do have in the building, but it’s frustrating, man, it’s frustrating. I feel like I can’t even look my guy, coach Andy Reid, in his eyes right now, just because I feel like I disappointed or I just let him down in some way, somehow throughout the year.”
“You? Let down Andy Reid,” Gonzalez said, with a stunned look upon his face.
After all, Kelce’s not only the club leader in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, but he also ranks as one of the best tight ends in the NFL at his age-36 season. For Kelce, it’s all about the little situational moments where he could’ve come through for the team. The dropped passes and pop-up interceptions he’s dealt with at times haunt him.
“I just feel like, you know, it’s my job to go out there and make it happen,” Kelce said. “And that’s kind of the pride that I’ve always played with, especially playing for him, knowing how hard he works and how prepared he always is. And I don’t know, I feel like you got to look yourself in the mirror and put like the biggest expectations on yourself to be able to get it done. And, you know, I know that’s not always realistic, but at the same time, it’s helped me become the player that I am today.”
Travis Kelce and Tony Gonzalez get candid about the retirement talks
Kelce has already told us exactly when he plans to decide whether to return or retire. Naturally, Gonzalez had to ask Kelce about the elephant in the room. Thursday night’s game against the Broncos could well be the last time he laces up his cleats and plays at Arrowhead Stadium.
“You know, that’s a good question, man,” Kelce said. “I think I’m still searching for those answers. I think, obviously, the way this one ended with a sour taste in my mouth, I feel motivated, but I got to make the right decision for me. I’ve got to hope that, you know, if I do want to come back, the Chiefs are willing to bring me back. So it’s a two-way street on that, but at the same time. Man, I am, at this point in this year, I’m just trying to finish out and give Chiefs Kingdom everything I got, and go out there and do it with some of that flair that you said I play with.”
Kelce says he’s got some pretty good people in his corner to lean on when it comes to making the decision, like his brother Jason Kelce, who retired from playing center for the Philadelphia Eagles at 36 years old. He’s also got Gonzalez, who shared exactly what helped him decide to walk away from the game they both love.
“Well, for me, the reason I kept coming back… because I was gonna retire a little bit before, and honestly, I thought last year, you guys are gonna win the Super Bowl, and then you were gonna retire at the Super Bowl, you decided to come back,” Gonzalez said. “But for me, it was chasing that, and that’s where I look at you. There’s nothing else left. I mean, you are one of the greatest tight ends of all time, if not the greatest. You have won Super Bowl rings. You have been an All-Pro, you have done stuff off the field. You have stuff waiting for you after the season’s over; the sky is the limit on what your next chapter is going to be.”
Gonzalez asked: “What would you be coming back for?”
“Just the fact that I know when it’s over, it’s over,” Kelce said. “And I feel like I don’t know, like I still have a lot of love for this game, man. I feel like, if I came back, it’d be just to answer that flame in my heart that I still love this thing. And, you know, I’ve been very fortunate to handle things on the field and off the field, to be able to set myself up and follow the footsteps of guys like Tony Gonzalez into the booth, if that’s something that I want to do.”
It’s a pretty compelling argument, but it’s one that Kelce will have to decide on. He’s got plenty of reasons to stay, but also plenty of reasons why walking away could make sense for him. For now, he’s looking to finish strong with his teammates and cherish what may be his final two NFL games.
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