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Kansas City Chiefs fans are usually excited for a playoff game as the regular season draws to a close, but Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium didn’t have those consequences as they miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Still, it was an emotional night as a cornerstone of the franchise played perhaps his final home game.
Tight end Travis Kelce walked off the GEHA Field turf after the 20-13 loss with one of those familiar take-it-all-in moments that veterans who might call it quits on their great careers do. He high-fived fans as he walked to the tunnel and likely heard a lot of kudos, appreciation and sheer admiration despite the game’s outcome.
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Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs is introduced prior to the game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Eric Thomas/Getty Images)
Kelce, who finished with five catches for 36 yards as third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun played through multiple knee injuries for Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew, is expected to announce his intentions, if any, to play in 2026.
Retirement has always been on the cards and he has admitted he would tell the Chiefs of his intentions before the new league year begins in March.
“A whole lot of emotion,” Kelce said on the podium during a postgame press conference, according to ESPN. “You’ve got everybody in the world watching you. You’re going to go out there with the young guys on primetime TV. Young guys get a taste of what this NFL life is like.”
TRAVIS KELCE HELD UNTOUCHED IN POSSIBLY FINAL HOME GAME AS BRONCOS SORE TOP CHIEFS
Of course, reporters had to follow up on what Kelce could do with his career.
“I’ll let that be a decision I’ll make with my family, friends, the Chiefs organization when the time comes,” he replied.
Kelce was introduced before the game along with the rest of his offensive teammates, and the Arrowhead Stadium crowd erupted, understanding the circumstances of what they were potentially witnessing.
It’s the moments since the beginning of his career, which now has three Super Bowl rings on his shelf along with a likely trip to Canton, Ohio, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, that Kelce never takes for granted.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates after catching a run in the first quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025. (Denny Medley/Imagn Images)
“You only get a few of them that you get to stand there and appreciate [60,000]70,000 Chiefs fans cheering you on,” he explained. “I always embrace that moment.
“You can feel the happiness and love of the generations [the fans] have. It’s a beautiful thing, man.”
Kelce’s fiancee, music megastar Taylor Swift, was on hand to see her husband-to-be in his element in Kansas City for what could be the last time.
Before their relationship took the world by storm, Kelce’s stardom quickly rose on that field, catching 645 passes during Chiefs home games, including many playoff games en route to Vince Lombardi trophies.
The Chiefs will finish the 2025 season, a disappointing one by their standards, on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders, where there is a question of whether Kelce will play at all. He needs just 10 yards to hit 13,000 for his career.
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If he doesn’t play, Kelce would finish with 839 yards and five touchdowns on 73 catches in 16 games. And then fans will start looking at what his final career stats could potentially be, including the second-most receiving yards by a tight end in league history at 12,990.
But it’s all just potential at the moment. Kelce knows a decision has to be made, but it will be on his time as he sits through the pros and cons of playing in what would be his 14th NFL season.
