KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Travis Kelce opened up about his future and the Kansas City Chiefs’ emotional loss in Super Bowl LIX during an emotional episode of his “New Heights” podcast.
Kelce, 35, fought back tears during the episode, released Wednesday, detailing the “hard reality” he’s faced since Sunday’s 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Travis acknowledged the emotional hit while he and his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce, shared their opinions of the Super Bowl.
“Just wasn’t our day. Couldn’t find a lick of momentum. I’m kicking myself for some of the tiny, tiny decisions I made on the field,” Travis said.
“I wasn’t the best leader that I could be in motivating my guys and keeping my guys calm, cool and collected, and I put a lot of that on myself, you know, as the guy that’s been in the building for 12 years and seen a lot of football and seen a situation just like this, in the Super Bowl.”
“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” his voice trembled as he continued. “It’s a hard reality, man.”
“I love my teammates; I love my coaches. Chiefs Kingdom, I’m sorry for how it ended,” Travis said. “I have a beautiful life, man.”
His cheer squad, including his girlfriend Taylor Swift, was there on Sunday, encouraging him and wishing him luck.
“I have loved ones; I have the most amazing family in the world that supports me in everything I do,” Travis said. “Everyone was there to at least make it feel like it wasn’t the worst day of my life.”
After a visibly upset Travis expressed his wish that “things had gone different,” his brother, Jason, highlighted some outstanding statistics from Sunday’s game.
“You broke the most catches in Super Bowl history,” Jason said. “I know you don’t probably care that much about it right now because of the way the game went.”
“You have so many records at this point, but at the end of the day, it’s just another thing that cements you as one of the best players ever to play in the NFL,” Jason added.
Travis went on to say, “That is the last thing that I care about right now,” suggesting that it is too soon to celebrate his success.
During the segment about Travis’ future, Jason talked about how tough it is to get back up for another season knowing what it takes to play at such a high level.
Even going into Sunday’s game, there was plenty of speculation that this could be the younger Kelce’s final NFL season.
Travis, who has played 200 regular season and playoff games in his career, talked about the physical toll that long seasons have on the body and what must be done in the offseason to get ready for an NFL season.
Three of the Chiefs’ last six seasons ended in Super Bowl victories, and they have participated in 19 playoff games.
“The fact that we keep going to these AFC championships and Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league,” Travis said.
“That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body. It’s a lot of time spent in the building. That process can be grueling,” Travis said. “It can weigh on you. It can make you better, and it can drive you crazy at the same time.”
“Right now, it was one of those things where it was driving me crazy this year. It happens as you tail off towards the back nine of your career,” Travis said.
As Kelce considers his future, the Chiefs will look towards the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft this spring.