Travis Kelce, the Kansas Chiefs’ superstar tight end, keeps ending up in the middle of retirement rumors, especially amid the buzz of his wedding to pop sensation Taylor Swift. With this, the fans can’t stop asking: Is he actually stepping away from football? The latest round started when Patrick Mahomes, Kelce’s longtime quarterback and close friend, posted an excited message on social media. It sent people into a frenzy, guessing whether Kelce was about to surprise everyone by retiring.

How did the rumor start?

It all kicked off when Patrick Mahomes posted an excited message online celebrating his Chiefs’ teammate, Travis Kelce. When Kelce posted his video of trying his hand at playing golf, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback posted a message on X (formerly, Twitter), hyping up Kelce with three bullseye emojis and a loud “Let’s go!!!!!”And suddenly, theories were flying everywhere. Was this about Kelce retiring? Was he eloping with Taylor Swift? But as it turns out, it was just Mahomes being genuinely hyped about Kelce nearly acing a shot at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open pro-am. That’s it — it was about Golf, not football or a wedding.Mahomes cleared things up fast. He followed up with a message to say he was just talking about the golf course, not Kelce’s future in the NFL. “Talking about [golf course emoji],” he wrote in a follow-up message. He even shared a video of Kelce’s big shot, captioned as “WHAT A DART,” just to make it obvious.Keeping aside all these online activities, Mahomes has always backed Kelce, whatever he decides about his career. He’s said it’s Kelce’s call and praised him for what he brings to the team. When fans started reading way too much into every tweet and interview, Mahomes stepped in to say the celebration was about friendship, not football retirement.

What did Travis Kelce himself say about retiring?

For starters, Kelce hasn’t said that he’s retiring — just yet. If anything, he keeps repeating that he still loves playing. Besides, he’s still playing hard, and as per his coaches, he’s too valuable to let go. Even after a rough 2025 season, one could see he wanted to finish strong.However, there’s a big decision coming up. His contract expires in March 2026. Keeping that in mind, Kelce even told reporters during a November 2025 press conference, “The season restarts in April, and I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity to know whether I come back or not,” adding, “Whether they want me back or not, it’s one of those things where I’d like to make that decision before they’ve got to get draft picks and free agency opens up.“

Where does Taylor Swift fit in?

Apart from his football career of late, Kelce’s relationship with pop star Taylor Swift has only turned up the volume on these rumors. Ever since they started dating in 2023 (she showed up at a Chiefs game on her Eras Tour), the spotlight’s been brighter than ever. The couple got engaged in August 2025 and is reportedly planning a June 2026 wedding. As per Page Six, they’ve circled June 13 for their big day in Rhode Island, since 13 is Taylor’s signature number. As per Fox Sports, they’ve picked a spot near her place in Watch Hill and are deep into planning.