Things haven’t gone well for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on the field in 2025. While Kelce has seen his stats increase following a down year in 2024, it hasn’t led to many Chiefs wins.
Week 15 proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the team. The Chiefs not only lost quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a torn ACL, but were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
That’s unfamiliar territory for Kelce, who spoke candidly about both scenarios on Wednesday’s episode of “New Heights.”
When talking about Mahomes, Kelce said watching the injury happen on the field didn’t feel real. He summed up the whole experience succinctly, saying, “S*** just sucks, man.”
“On a freakish play, to see 15 go down like that, it f***ing, it was almost like it wasn’t real. S*** just sucks, man. For a guy who puts in that much and puts his body on the line week in and week out, and … makes the best of it by how hard he works. It sucks, man.”
Mahomes and Kelce are obviously very close. On the field, the two have immense chemistry. No pass catcher has hauled in more touchdowns from Mahomes, as the pair have hooked up for 59 scores. Off the field, the two are often seen together as well. That has to make the injury hurt even more for Kelce.
With the Chiefs now out of the playoffs, Kelce vowed to keep playing hard so the team can “end on the highest note that we can.”
It marks the first time since Kelce’s second season in the NFL that the Chiefs won’t make a playoff appearance. Kelce, as you might expect, was disappointed about that streak ending.
“It’s obviously f***ed up, but it’s a new feeling. So, all I know is to go out there and play my ass off and to show up and give my guys the best chance to win. That’s the mentality, man.”
At 36, it’s unclear how much more football Kelce has left in him. While some have speculated he could call it a career after the season, Kelce has made no declarations about his plans just yet. It’s also unknown how much the Chiefs’ failures in 2025 could impact Kelce’s decision. Does he really want to go out after the team’s worst year in over a decade?
As Kelce noted, the Chiefs still have three games left on the schedule. While the results won’t matter, Kelce is going to try his best to give Chiefs fans something to cheer down the stretch. He doesn’t know any other way to play.
