Chiefs' Travis Kelce's retirement decision has to factor in 1 huge thing

The next couple of weeks are going to be crucial for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in deciding his NFL future.

Many thought last offseason would be when Travis would retire, but he came back and was more than serviceable, leading the Chiefs in all major categories.

Now his future is once again the focus. Having accomplished everything there is to in the game, Travis has nothing left to prove or really gain in coming back for a 14th season.

And CBS Sports' Garrett Podell has offered something that Travis might want to think about before making his decision.

"Kelce, who completed his 13th NFL season at the age of 36 in 2025, has a retirement decision to make,” Podell wrote. “He'll certainly have to weigh really having nothing much left to prove other than stuffing the stat sheet ahead to cap what's already a Hall of Fame career with the chance of suffering a major injury.”

More: Cardinals urged to make incredible decision on Pro Bowl QB

Kelce weighing up injury risk

One thing we can say about Kelce's career is that he's been healthy for the majority of it.

Since 2015, Travis has played at least 15 regular-season games, along with 25 playoff games mixed into that, so he's avoided a major injury so far in his career.

And we are crossing our fingers that if he does return in 2026, he once again gets a full season under his belt, because it would be the worst thing ever for him to get injured, and that's how his career ends.

So, as Podell points out, Kelce has to decide if it is worth going around again, for not much gain, and for a lot to potentially lose.

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