NEW ORLEANS — This time round, Travis Kelce supplied no boisterous bellows.
The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish had nothing to sing about Sunday evening whereas on the fully reverse finish of the Tremendous Bowl spectrum from a yr in the past.
Final February, Kelce stood atop the world, smooching Taylor Swift and belting out the Beastie Boys’ “Battle For Your Proper,” as pink and yellow confetti showered his Chiefs following a profitable title protection. Kelce had delivered a prolific efficiency (9 catches for 93 yards) within the 25-22 additional time win versus the San Francisco 49ers in Tremendous Bowl LVIII, and when handed the mic, he didn’t maintain again.
Quick ahead one yr later and Kelce was trudging — not dancing — off the sphere at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. And this confetti was inexperienced — the colour of the Philadelphia Eagles, who with a 40-22 throttling of Kelce’s Chiefs garnered the Tremendous Bowl LIX trophy and denied Kansas Metropolis’s quest to grow to be the primary staff to win three consecutive Tremendous Bowls.
Having managed simply 4 catches for 39 yards — roughly a 3rd of his 93 yards in Tremendous Bowl LVIII and his lowest postseason output since 2019 — Kelce wished nothing to do with microphones or spotlights. He opted towards going to the rostrum for a postgame information convention and as a substitute spoke to solely a small group of reporters within the customer locker room earlier than slipping off into the evening.
Travis Kelce on the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’s Tremendous Bowl loss:
“We haven’t performed that unhealthy all yr.” pic.twitter.com/n6N6gzBVwo
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) February 10, 2025
As gorgeous because the Chiefs’ feeble efforts proved on Sunday, Kelce’s output matched the decline he displayed in the course of the common season. His 823 receiving yards and three landing catches have been each profession lows. At 35, Kelce has began to point out his age, and now the long run Corridor of Famer enters the offseason with rumors of his potential retirement swirling.
Kelce definitely wasn’t alone in his anemic manufacturing Sunday evening. Subsequent to nothing went proper for Kansas Metropolis. And issues felt off for each staff and star participant early within the contest and by no means actually bought higher.
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All through their seven-year union, Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have all the time performed with a connection that seemingly bordered on telepathic. However Sunday evening, the often sure-handed tight finish dropped a move that Mahomes tried to zip to him over the center. One other goal, within the second quarter, skipped off the turf for an incompletion, as did a third-quarter move for a two-point conversion.
There have been occasions when Kelce discovered holes within the protection, just for Mahomes to by no means see him due to frequent breakdowns alongside the offensive line. For a lot of the sport, the Chiefs had as many first downs (one) as Kelce had catches. A few late-game catches minimally improved Kelce’s stat line. And people two late receptions nudged him previous Jerry Rice’s Tremendous Bowl document of 31 receptions. However Kelce cared a few win, not a document.
“This one’s going to harm,” he stated throughout his transient postgame feedback.
Requested for his evaluation of his staff’s struggles, Kelce stated: “They simply bought after us in all three phases and on prime of that, turnovers, penalties, enjoying behind the sticks on offense, dropped passes, not making the most of the play name and executing them. There’s lots that goes into them. You don’t lose that unhealthy with out every little thing going unhealthy.”
Kelce stored his postgame feedback to a minimal maybe as a result of he suspected questions on his future would come up once more. Kelce reportedly entered Tremendous Bowl LIX undecided on his future, and moments after the gutting loss definitely wasn’t the time to decide.
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Mahomes was, nevertheless, requested what he expects from his trusty teammate. The quarterback declined to invest.
“I’ll let Travis make that call on his personal,” Mahomes stated. “Man, he’s given a lot to this staff, to the NFL, and been such a pleasure, not just for me to work with, however for individuals to observe. And so he is aware of he nonetheless has plenty of soccer left in him. You may see it. He all the time makes performs within the largest moments, however it’s if he needs to place in that grind. It takes a grind to go on the market and play 20 video games, no matter it’s, and get to the Tremendous Bowl, and he’s achieved sufficient to be a gold jacket man and first-ballot Corridor of Famer.
“I do know he reveals love for the sport, and he’ll get to spend a while together with his household and make that call on his personal. However he is aware of he’ll come again right here with welcome arms. We love that man, not just for the soccer participant, however the individual that he’s each single day.”
Kelce definitely may stroll away from the sport and declare he has achieved every little thing potential. He’s one among solely 14 gamers in NFL historical past with greater than 1,000 profession receptions. His resume additionally contains 10 Professional Bowl picks, 4 All-Professional nods and, in fact, three Tremendous Bowl victories in 5 appearances.
Kelce’s days as a No. 1 pass-catcher are over. Certain, he understands coverages so effectively that he can float out and in of holes within the secondary to get open for Mahomes. However the separation isn’t what it as soon as was, and with extra explosive youthful gamers like Xavier Worthy and Noah Grey ascending for the Chiefs, it’s solely pure Kelce’s position will proceed to decrease.
As Mahomes stated, Kelce should determine whether or not he needs to make the dedication to keep up no matter sliver of a bodily edge he has left. Kelce doesn’t want soccer to earn money. If he retired, he would immediately grow to be a sought-after media persona, identical to brother Jason Kelce was final yr following his retirement from the Eagles. The tight finish may additionally embrace the liberty of retirement and do extra touring with Taylor Swift.
Nevertheless it additionally wouldn’t be stunning if Kelce finally determined the style of this defeat was too robust for him to disregard, and opted to chase one ultimate crack at Tremendous Bowl win No. 4.
Sunday’s ultimate pictures of Kelce — strolling via the inexperienced confetti, strolling forlornly via the bowels of the stadium in hopes of avoiding intense scrutiny — distinction significantly from these we’ve seen throughout his 12-year legendary profession: the rumbles towards first downs or finish zones, or the rowdy celebrations.
Father Time is undefeated, nevertheless, and finally Kelce will succumb. It’s only a matter of how fiercely he needs to proceed to battle whereas the Chiefs’ window of competition stays open.
(Picture: Patrick Smith / Getty Pictures)