Travis Kelce vents about his football performance in expletive-filled rant as retirement rumors swirl

Travis Kelce has expressed his frustrations with his football performance as more fans question whether this will be his final season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

During Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, the Chiefs suffered a critical 20-10 loss that could have cemented their spot in the NFL playoffs. In the fourth quarter of the game, Travis dropped a pass thrown by the team’s quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, leading to a Texans interception.

In Wednesday’s episode of the tight end’s New Heights podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother Jason, Travis spoke about the game and how upset he was not to see the team’s work pay off.

“You put in all this f***ing work and hope that it pays off. And right now, it’s just for whatever f***ing reason, man, it’s little things,” he said.

“I feel like I’ve always had the answers in years past. And this year, I just can’t find them. I keep thinking if I show up to work and I put in the work and I fix the issues through my practice habits and through perfecting the game plan and my fundamentals and what I'm being taught and go out there and try and play my ass off for my guys next to me, it’s all going to come together like it has in years past. And this year is just not, man.”

He added that he would keep trying his best for the team and treat every game as if it were “the most important game in the world.”

“It’s all that I can do. I’m going to always show up to work and f***ing give it my all,” the tight end concluded.

After Sunday’s game, Travis declined to participate in any interviews as he walked back to the locker room without removing his helmet, leading many X users to speculate that his retirement was on the horizon.

“Travis not taking off his helmet.. mhm i think ive seen this film before AND I DIDNT LIKE THE ENDING,” one post read, referencing his brother’s 2024 retirement.

Another X user agreed, writing, “Travis kelce is ready for retirement i seen jason look the same way against tampa in the playoffs.”

The rumors regarding Travis’s retirement date back to the start of this year after he finished his 12th season in the NFL.

On January 15, he admitted during an interview with sports journalist Stephen A. Smith that his opinion on retirement “changes every single day.”

“I love everything that I’m doing in this building, but at the end of the day I’m not having that extreme success on the field as I have individually,” Travis said. “... I’ll reevaluate it like I always do, and I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing and I’ll come back next year.”

The Chiefs will next take on the Los Angeles Chargers on December 14 at 1 p.m. ET.