Tom Brady sent a strong message to Travis Kelce amid heavy speculation that the Kansas City Chiefs star could walk away from football after 13 dazzling seasons in the NFL.
Brady, 48, is no stranger to grappling with the decision to call it quits, having famously pulled a dramatic U-turn on his initial retirement back in 2022.
And the former quarterback, who has since stepped into the broadcasting booth with Fox to divulge his footballing wisdom, weighed in on the choice facing Kelce.
The Chiefs’ 2025 season ended in disastrous fashion with the perennial Super Bowl contenders missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
And, as Kansas City’s nightmare ended, so too did Kelce’s contract. The three-time Super Bowl winner’s current deal with the Chiefs expired at the culmination of their season, leaving the legend weighing up retirement once again.
With the tight end at the crossroads following the Chiefs’ failure to reach the postseason, the NFL legend pushed back on the idea of him hanging up his cleats just yet.
Tom Brady sent a strong message to Travis Kelce amid recent retirement speculation
‘He doesn’t need my advice,’ Brady told ET. ‘The guy has had a Hall of Fame career without any of mine, he doesn’t need it now.
‘He’s a stud, man. What a great player he’s been. He could still play. He looked great this year and I thought it was one of the best year’s he’s had in a long time.
‘I love watching him play. I love his personality. I love his temperament. I love his competitiveness. He’s one of the all-time greats that ever played this game.’
While the Chiefs endured humiliation at the weekend, Kelce proved that he still had what it takes to suit up for another year.
Kelce himself had a season to be proud of on an individual level. He ended with 851 yards and five touchdowns, in the process becoming only the third tight end in NFL history to pass 13,000 yards for his career.
Yet, should he choose to hang up his cleats, one option on the table for him will be to follow Brady and older brother Jason into broadcasting, with every sports network in America likely to scrap it out for his signature.
However, Kelce insisted that he wouldn’t be weighing up either option just yet, claiming that he would be taking a few weeks to spend time with his loved ones when asked by Jason what the offseason would look like earlier this month.
Kelce, who has been spending quality time with his fiancee Taylor Swift since the regular season ended, addressed his future last week on his New Heights podcast with this brother Jason.
Kelce and the Chiefs failed to reach the postseason for the first time since 2014
Many believe he will walk away from the game ahead of his and fiancee Taylor Swift’s wedding
The legendary quarterback has transitioned to the booth since hanging his own cleats up
‘I am officially jobless, Jason,’ the NFL icon quipped during the introduction to the show’s latest episode.
‘In fact this is my only job. This is the only company that employs me right now,’ he added referring to his expired contract in Kansas City.
Despite his attempts to stay light-hearted on the subject, Kelce did later somberly reflect on his situation – but it may not be all doom and gloom for Chiefs Kingdom.
The legendary tight end didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to the field next season but admitted that the decision hinges on his body.
‘There’s a lot of love for the game still, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that,’ the veteran confessed. ‘It’s a tough thing to navigate but at the same time I think if my body can heal up and rest and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18-, 20-, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat.
‘I think right now it’s just finding that answer and see how the body feels after all this settles down.’
Brady is familiar with the retirement saga having originally called time on his playing career in 2022, one year after winning the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, only to shockingly reverse that decision a few weeks later.
He returned to play one more season – his 23rd in the NFL – with the Bucs before officially retiring again, this time for good.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner has since transitioned to the broadcasting booth and is approaching the end of the second season of his $375million, ten-year deal as Fox’s lead NFL color commentator.
