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Travis Kelce Had Brutally Honest Explanation for Why He's Not Retiring From NFL

Andy Nesbitt

Travis Kelce is not calling it quits just yet.
Travis Kelce is not calling it quits just yet. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Travis Kelce is not calling it quits just yet as he'll return to the NFL for his 13th season later this year when he and the Kansas City Chiefs get back to work after falling in Super Bowl LIX last month.

Kelce talked about his decision to not retire on this week's new episode of his hit podcast, New Heights.

"The biggest thing is that I f------ love playing the game of football," he said. "I still feel like I can play at a high level, and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don’t think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them, especially if you look at my track record for how I did in years past. I want to give it a good run. I got a bad taste in my mouth on how I ended the year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was for the people around me."

Here are his full comments:

Kelce had 97 catches last season but his 823 yards receiving and three touchdowns were not what we're used to seeing from for the future Hall of Famer.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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