Chiefs star Chris Jones isn’t ‘buying’ the Travis Kelce retirement talk

Will Travis Kelce be back next season?

That’s the big question on Chiefs fans’ minds amid speculation over the future of the soon-to-be husband of pop icon Taylor Swift. 

While one teammate, defensive tackle Chris Jones, isn’t “buying it” that Kelce will retire, it appears that TV execs will be ready to hand him a broadcast job with a pricey salary if he does, in fact, hang up his cleats.

Sunday marked the final game of the Chiefs’ season, a 14-12 loss to the Raiders, and what could have been Kelce’s final game in the NFL. 

But Jones predicted that it won’t be the case and Kelce will “be back next year.” 

“I can’t promise you anything about another man, but this year was a tricky year for us. I got faith in my dog coming back,” Jones said. “He brings a lot of energy, a lot of passion to the game. One of the best tight ends to ever play the game, if not the best tight end to ever play the game. I have so much respect and love for him.”

Kelce finished the season with 851 receiving yards and five touchdowns, while becoming just the third tight end in NFL history to surpass 13,000 receiving yards during his career. 

The star tight end himself told reporters on Sunday that he didn’t know how long it would take for him to make a decision. 

“Either it hits me quick or I’ve got to take some time. Last year was a little bit easier. I think I knew right away I wanted to kind of give this one [year] a shot. We’ll see,” Kelce said. 

Should Kelce decide to call it, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported on the “Marchand Sports Media podcast” that he would be a top candidate for broadcast positions covering the NFL. 

“He’s a guy who is only going to take a No. 1 job, to me,” Marchand said. “He’s going to get anywhere from 10 to 20 million, because he’s Travis Kelce.”

This season marks the first time since 2014 that the Chiefs have not made the postseason.