After a season full of uncertainty, rumors surrounding Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce continue to make headlines. Whether he will play in 2026 remains a question, but his post-retirement plans appear to be clearer. His teammate, Chiefs guard Trey Smith, recently opened up about what he believes could be next for the veteran tight end. He shared his thoughts on the Up & Adams Show while speaking with Kay Adams on Thursday.

“I think the world, he can do whatever he wants,” Smith, Kelce’s teammate, said. “He’s been in movies and TV shows. I mean, obviously, with the podcast taking off, he can get into announcing games. Like, the guy’s bag is deep. Man, he can do whatever he wants. He’s an awesome dude. He’s fun to be around. He’s got a great personality. So, at the end of the day, you already see Jason selling in different avenues and a plethora of ways. So, it’s no surprise that Travis is going to take off whenever he decides to win a show.”

These comments from Trey Smith come at an interesting time during the offseason, as recently, there was a report by The Athletic about Travis Kelce’s endeavors outside of football. As per veteran journalist Andrew Marchand, the younger Kelce could soon follow his brother Jason’s footsteps by venturing into sports broadcasting and earn “at least $15 million per year.”

“Travis Kelce appears as if he will try to play another season before potentially trying broadcasting, where he would like to call games but probably could pick up at least $15 million per year as a studio presence,” Marchand wrote.

Notably, the Chiefs’ tight end has been vocal about a career in the media with appearances as an actor on the FX series Grotesquerie and in the recent Happy Gilmore sequel. While the star tight end has shown a preference towards the silver screen, Travis Kelce has made up his mind about broadcasting and especially calling games.

“I want to broadcast when I’m done playing,” the tight end said on his New Heights podcast. “I want to be the talking head that calls the games.”

Historically, the Chiefs veterans have a rich tradition of finding success in broadcasting after hanging up their cleats. Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson set the standard, spending more than three decades as a beloved voice of Chiefs radio while also anchoring Inside the NFL nationally. His seamless transition from the gridiron to the studio made him an example for athletes wanting to stay in the spotlight after retirement. More recently, tight end Tony Gonzalez carved out his own niche as a Fox Sports analyst, blending his HOF resume with sharp insights on TV.

Other prominent examples include long snapper Kendall Gammon, who became a familiar sideline presence on Chiefs radio broadcasts. He also built a career as a motivational speaker and author. Hence, Travis Kelce’s dream of becoming a “talking head” fits naturally into this long-standing tradition.

Although the reported $15 million broadcasting payday for Kelce sounds big, it still pales in comparison to the massive $375 million deal Tom Brady landed with Fox Corporation. Even so, it could end up paying Travis Kelce more than what he might earn on his next NFL contract. Back in 2024, Kelce signed a two-year extension worth about $17.1 million per year with the Chiefs, briefly making him the league’s highest-paid tight end. But things look different now.

Kelce is 36, and while he still produced 76 catches, 851 yards, and five touchdowns, teams rarely hand out big deals to players at that stage. At the same time, Kansas City is dealing with a tight salary cap. The team recently reworked Patrick Mahomes’ contract again, converting a huge chunk into a signing bonus to clear more than $43 million in cap space for 2026. Because of that, a major new deal for their veteran tight end might not be realistic. And that leaves Kelce at a crossroads, sparking his retirement rumors.

Kelce could now walk away, step into the TV world, and cash in. Or he could return for one more run and try to help the Chiefs rebound after a disappointing 6-11 season without a playoff appearance. For now, though, Kelce has been open about one thing – the part of football he’d miss the most if he finally decides to hang up the cleats.

It will be a whole different world for Travis Kelce post-retirement

Retirement talk keeps circling around Travis Kelce, but the star tight end isn’t rushing the decision just yet. In this week’s episode of his podcast New Heights, Kelce opened up about what he believes will be the hardest part of leaving the game behind. For him, it’s the moments that come when the pressure is highest.

“I think it’s just those moments in the big games,” Kelce said. “The feeling of having to rise to the occasion, be there for 70,000 that are counting on you, outside of the guys that you go to war with. Those moments of rising to the occasion in the heat of the battle in the playoffs and all the big games out there.”

“That’s a feeling I know I’ll never get again. Those are the things you cherish the most. If you’re fortunate enough to be in the playoffs and make runs at it, the satisfaction that you get and the successful feeling of all the hard work you put in is finally paying off, and I think that’ll be one of the things I miss the most for sure.”

Meanwhile, ESPN insider Nate Taylor suggested Kelce’s decision may already be leaning one way, saying all signs point toward the veteran returning next season with the Chiefs.

Speaking on Cody & Gold show on 96.5 The Fan, the host claimed, “He’s coming back, guys. Every indication I’ve gotten is that Travis Kelce is looking forward to coming back. When we’ll know that for sure? That’s really his prerogative.”

Nevertheless, off the field, life is just as busy. Travis Kelce weighs his future on the field, but his prospects off it look brighter than ever, with a promising media career and a highly anticipated wedding to Taylor Swift in June 2026. Whatever comes next, the world will certainly not stop talking about him anytime soon.