KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – If Thursday night was Travis Kelce’s last game at Arrowhead Stadium, he certainly tried to make it a memorable one.
The Chiefs tight end had just five catches for 36 yards against Denver, playing alongside third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun while his good friend Patrick Mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew were out with knee injuries. But several of those catches came in the closing minutes, nearly putting Kansas City on its feet in what would have been a stunning loss to the Broncos.
Kelce and Co. eventually lost 20-13 in a game where they were nearly two-touchdown underdogs.
But it was a brave display from him in a career full of them.
The four-time All-Pro, who is expected to announce his retirement shortly after the season, could have thrown in the towel a few weeks ago when the reigning AFC champions were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Instead, after going to five Super Bowls – including the last three – and winning three championship rings, the 36-year-old Kelce showed he was too proud to quit over a lost season. He played in a humiliating loss to lowly Tennessee last week, and he was one of the few bright spots Thursday night for an offense that finished with 139 total yards.
“A lot of emotions,” Kelce said afterward. “Everyone in the world is watching you. You get to go out with the young guys on primetime television. Young guys get a chance to get a taste of what this NFL life is like.”
“I’ll let that be a decision I’ll make with my family, friends and the Chiefs organization when the time comes,” Kelce said.
He was the last player introduced Thursday night, following Oladokun out of the tunnel in the corner of Arrowhead Stadium. As red lights flashed across the field, Kelce emerged from the mist with his signature bow-and-arrow gesture to a celebratory party crowd, and it predictably roared with joy – perhaps for the last time – as No. 87 took the field.
“You only get a few of those (moments) where you can stand there and appreciate 60, 70 thousand Chiefs fans cheering for you,” Kelce said. “I always embrace that moment.”
Jamie Squire via Getty Images
In a suite high above him, his fiancée, pop star Taylor Swift, watched him perform. That included Mahomes and Minshew, who played the game together from a suite; Mahomes tore ligaments in his knee two weeks ago, Minshew did the same thing last week.
“You feel the generations of happiness and the love that (the fans) have,” Kelce said. “It’s a beautiful thing, man. It’s something I know I’ll cherish forever, whether it’s coming out of the tunnel or just making a big play for them. That’s why we love Arrowhead.”
Kelce has played 97 games at the stadium over the course of a 13-year career. He caught 645 passes there, including playoffs, the third most of any player in a single stadium behind Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald since the AFL-NFL merger.
Now the question is whether Kelce will play in the Chiefs’ season finale in Las Vegas next week.
He needs just 10 yards to reach 13,000 for his career, and he could extend his franchise record — and the longest active streak in the NFL — by catching a pass in his 191st game next weekend. He could also walk away with a win instead of having lost five straight games and seven of his last eight games, which is the slide the Chiefs are on now.
Or maybe he’ll surprise everyone and come back another year.
“We’ve been through so much together,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said, making his desire clear. “Just one more (season). Just one more.”
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