Speculation was rife about Travis Kelce’s future after the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59. On the New Heights podcast, the tight end revealed that he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to continue playing in the aftermath of that gutwrenching defeat. He said he would take his time to decide whether he wanted to return for another year or call it a day.

Kelce eventually decided that he wanted to continue playing. However, a report from Radar Online suggests that his girlfriend, pop icon Taylor Swift, was worried about what decision he was going to take.

A source close to the 14-time Grammy winner told Radar:

“Taylor is really gripped by fear over which way he’s going to jump because it has big ramifications for their relationship, but also, it is totally his call. Travis is totally adamant that Taylor would never pressure him into anything, insisting she’ll support whatever he decides – but let’s be real, it’s no secret she’s itching to settle down.”

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The report also claimed that Kelce and Swift were keen on spending more time together, which hasn’t been possible since they began dating due to their extremely busy schedules.

According to Radar Online, the pop icon was also afraid of the potential backlash she would have faced had Kelce decided to retire.

Why did Travis Kelce decide not to retire?

On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce shed light on why he decided to return for at least another year. He said:

“I still feel like I can play it at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don’t think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them, especially if you look at my track record and how I’ve been in years past… I got a bad taste in my mouth in how I ended the year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was to the people around me.” [From 2:52]

The tight end added that he would have pondered hanging up his cleats had the Chiefs beaten the Eagles and completed the unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat. However, the blowout loss reignited the fire within him to continue playing and he informed the team that he intended to return for the 2025 season.