Travis Kelce Says He Had ‘Juggle’ Making Less Money In NFL In Retirement Decision

Travis Kelce says he had to “juggle” the reality of missed financial opportunity in his decision to play another season with the Kansas City Chiefs after a disappointing Super Bowl loss last month.

Kelce, 35, talked about the thinking behind his decision to return for another season during Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast he hosts with his brother, Jason Kelce, who retired from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.

“Why are you playing another season?” Jason asked Travis. “Why are you going to go out there, risk injury and make less money than you could make not playing football?”

“That was kinda the one I had to juggle right there,” Travis joked, referring to making less money.

Kelce has been busy during his recent offseasons, lining up endorsement deals and making a splash in Hollywood. He’s appeared in horror series “Grotesquerie” from Ryan Murphy and Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore 2.” He also served as host of “Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?” and as executive producer of the film “My Dead Friend Zoe.”

“Its just off a feel. Im not a big measure the pros and cons [type of person],” he said. “I just go off a feel. Pure gut feeling … I pulled the trigger as soon as I knew that feeling.”

He weighed the decision to possibly retire from professional football after the Chiefs’ 22–40 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, dashing Kansas’ hopes for a threepeat. He confirmed his return in a text message to The Pat McAfee Show on Feb. 27, saying he was “gonna try and get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop.” He also reportedly expressed disappointment in his Super Bowl performance, saying he “can’t go out like that.”

Kelce said on his podcast that he remains devoted to football.

“The biggest thing is that I fing love playing the game of football. I love playing,” he said. “I still think I can play it at a high level, and possibly at a higher level than I did last year.”