As the Chiefs get ready for another title run, the team is more locked in than ever heading into 2025 in St. Joseph, Missouri. The team is in full prep mode for the season with players reporting early and head coach Andy Reid putting everyone, especially Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, through his typical tough camp to get them ready for another Super Bowl push.

The AFC defending champs are coming off last season’s Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and have been taking care of their roster needs and conditioning all offseason. Led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs are in the hunt again in what should be a competitive AFC.

In a fun team-building activity that’s become a Chiefs tradition, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was put on the hot seat during a social media guessing game that showed off his goofy side with veteran teammate Travis Kelce. The incident happened when Chiefs players had to guess which teammate made certain social media posts. When shown the tweet “Too turnt to look back now,” Mahomes immediately had an idea who wrote it. He guessed it was a post by Travis Kelce himself, his 35-year-old tight end. As per the X post, Mahomes replied jokingly to the caption, saying that, “Trav? He’s too old to be tweets, Instagram. Catch or stuff like that,” and the room erupted in laughter.

Travis Kelce posted a highlight reel with the very caption in question, “Too turnt to look back now,” back in 2024. People saw the post as Kelce being cocky since the Chiefs were winning, but Mahomes’ response shows he enjoyed the lingo from a 35-year-old.

This exchange between the two stars shows not only their close friendship. It also shows the age gap and career levels between them. Patrick Mahomes is in his prime at 29 years old, while Travis Kelce is in what most believe might be his last NFL season at 35 years old.

Did Travis Kelce drop a hint on his retirement?

The timing of Mahomes’ age remark is especially interesting when considered in light of the retirement rumors that continue to surround Travis Kelce. Offseason and into camp, he’s been under a microscope about his NFL future. Especially after his lowest yardage since 2013 last season.

When asked about retirement in person at a recent camp media availability, he gave his usual 7-word answer that’s been the talk of Chiefs Kingdom. “Man, ask me that when I retire,” Kelce smiled, shutting down the retirement debate while leaving the future in question. It was in response to a question on what his best training camp memory was, if this season would be his last.

Rumors of retirement have been circulating since the Super Bowl, and both Mahomes and Reid have said publicly that they know Travis isn’t retiring. Mahomes said Kelce’s work ethic and passion haven’t changed. Mahomes confirmed this by saying, “If it’s the last ride, you would never know. I mean, the way he’s talking about football, the way he’s talking about working and trying to be even better this year than he was last year. He doesn’t seem like a guy that it’s his last ride, like he’s tired of the job.”

Reid had the same sentiments, complimenting Travis Kelce’s physique and work ethic during training camp. “We haven’t talked about last years. You hope he plays forever, but that’s probably not going to happen for any of us.” Reid said, as reported by Newsweek. This proved that Kelce seemed to be in the best physical condition he’d seen him in years. The coach also added that he and Kelce have not had any official sit-downs about retirement. Reid also indicated the tight end is focused on the current season instead of planning his departure.

But the disparity between public words and private lives indicates this may very well be Travis Kelce’s last go-around. At 35 years of age and facing the final season of his deal, Kelce has conceded the physical wear associated with playing additional games. “That means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the whole league,” Travis said on his New Heights podcast. “That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body.”

Travis Kelce brushes off direct retirement questions with humor and deflection. On the other hand, the Chiefs organization is already preparing for a future without their star tight end. During the 2025 training camp, Andy Reid formally named Noah Gray as Kelce’s eventual successor. This might be a signal that the team is planning for life after their Hall of Fame-bound tight end. Mahomes’ joking remarks regarding Kelce’s age indicate that even within the franchise, there is a realization that the end of an era could be near.