Super Bowl 2025: Kansas City's Travis Kelce isn't done yet, wants to play three more years

NEW ORLEANS — As Kansas City tries to accomplish a Super Bowl three-peat, Travis Kelce is thinking about playing three more years.

That means a lot more television close-ups of Taylor Swift in luxury boxes at Kansas City games.

There have been questions about how much longer Kelce, 35, would continue playing, especially with all of his outside interests. The superstar tight end said he hopes he’s still playing football three years from now.

“I got a full heart of football left in me,” Kelce said Thursday morning. “I really love this game. I think throughout the year it can get pretty tough. But it’s moments like these, the playoffs, these memories that I have with the teammates and coaches [that I] go to war with.

“Wanting to keep that legacy or keep fighting for new ways to keep those memories, I think, will keep fueling me and my love for football.”

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes likes the sound of that.

“I believe that he can play as long as he wants to play,” Mahomes said. “It’s just going to be about how long he wants to play. And so hopefully he does play another three years because that’s always good for me.”

Kelce and Mahomes have formed one of the most unstoppable pairings in football history since Mahomes became Kansas City’s starting quarterback in 2018. Their work in the postseason has been historic.

Mahomes has thrown 19 touchdown passes to Kelce in the postseason, the most by any duo in NFL history. They hope to add to that Sunday in Super Bowl LIX when Kansas City tries to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.

Kelce, who looked as if he slowed down a little bit during the regular season, doesn’t want to leave what he has with Mahomes and coach Andy Reid. Kelce is Reid’s biggest supporter and said, “I owe everything to that man in my career.”

There’s no doubt that Kelce, a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer, has been setting himself up for life after football.

He’s got a popular podcast with his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce. Travis is the host of an Amazon Prime game show, “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” He was cast in an FX horror series, “Grotesquerie,” and appeared in five episodes.

Kelce loves that part of his life, including going on tour with his pop star girlfriend. He will continue to explore other ventures but plans to keep putting on the pads for as long as he can.

“I love doing this,” Kelce said. “I feel like I still have a lot of good football left in me. We’ll see what happens. I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing football only lasts for so long.

“You have to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I’ve been doing that in my offseasons. But for the most part, I plan on being [in] Kansas City and playing football.”

Kelce caught 97 passes this season, but it was considered subpar by his standards. He had career lows of 823 yards and three touchdowns. His best game came in Kansas City’s Divisional playoff win over the Texans. He had seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.

“I feel like this year I stepped into a role of being more of a voice for the guys,” he said.

Kelce still is someone Mahomes looks for and is a big part of the offense, consistently making crucial catches. His practice habits and desire to be on the field at all times show how engaged he is.

“He wants to fight you when he has to come out,” Reid said.

Kelce acknowledged that there’s been a shift in his mentality over the years, and being around his teammates and sharing experiences are things he would greatly miss.

“Early on in my career, I think a lot of my motivation was driven off of individual success,” he said. “Wanting to get that acknowledgment of my peers, of the people watching the game, that I was somebody fun to watch or I was worth watching or I was worth having on your team.

“Nowadays, I just love going to work with guys I’m in the building with. I love sharing these memories. I love figuring out these game plans, figuring out how we’re going to attack a defense. There’s just a certain love that I found in it and I think it’s the people I go to work with.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.