Chiefs' Travis Kelce's comments on retirement should end speculation on future

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce discussed his future on Monday, during the Super Bowl's opening night of media week, and hopefully put an end to discussions about his future in the process.

According to the Associated Press (via ESPN), Kelce was asked where he saw himself in three years

"Hopefully still playing football," he said. "I love doing this, I love coming into work every day. 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 offseason. But for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football."

While it won't happen, Kelce's comments should put an end to the speculation around his future, at least for the next couple seasons.

The rumblings around the 35-year-old's future in the NFL have never been based on anything Kelce said, but more on the fact that he seemed to have an actual life outside of football. From dating Taylor Swift to his incredibly popular New Heights podcast with his brother Jason, Kelce has spent time building a brand and a life that extends outside of the usual NFL sphere. It's clear he's preparing for a life after football.

Anytime a player does that, the speculation starts, and when you combine that with him posting his lowest total receiving yards since 2015, and his lowest yards per catch and touchdown totals in his career, that speculation gets louder still.

But Kelce has given no indication at any point that he's planning to retire. And a closer look at his stats this season show that he hasn't fallen off the way some may think. Yes, Kelce posted his lowest yards per catch, and fewer total yards and touchdowns than he has in a while.

But he was the Chiefs' sole reliable receiving option this season, frequently facing tighter coverage than he's ever seen, especially in the red zone. And his catch and target numbers were roughly in line with most other seasons he's had. In other words, he's still catching passes, but has less room to turn those passes into big plays or touchdowns than he's had in previous years. And when you factor in the fact that Kansas City's offense was much more focused on efficiency than big plays this year,

Questions about the future are understandable at 35. But the Chiefs haven't given any sign they're ready for him to go, and Monday's comments should put an end to the speculation around his future once and for all.

At least for the short term, expect to see plenty more Travis Kelce in Kansas City.

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Chiefs' Travis Kelce's comments on retirement should put an end to speculation on future

By Sam Westmoreland | 12:39 PM EST