After a pair of lackluster showings in the AFC Championship and Super Bowl LIX, many believed that they had seen the last of the Kansas City Chiefs’ premier pass catcher, Travis Kelce. Nevertheless, the 12-year veteran is set to stick around for at least one more season.
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During a recent press conference, Kelce finally revealed a bit more information about his decision to extend his playing career. Despite all of the speculation surrounding his status throughout the offseason, the star tight end insisted that he didn’t give the idea of retirement much thought.
“I love coming into work every single day… I’m definitely getting older, but at the same time, I still feel like I’ve got a lot that I can prove in this league… It really wasn’t that hard of a decision for me.”
Considering that his most recent form has been anything but stellar, some believe that perhaps Kelce should have thought harder about his decision to retire. Among those appears to be the titular host of The Rich Eisen Show.
In highlighting that Kelce’s receiving yard total was “the lowest he’s had in any season in which he started 16 games,” Eisen suggests that, for better or worse, Kelce will be the deciding factor of the Chiefs’ dynasty.
“He will be the avatar. He will be the focus as to whether the Chiefs are finally vulnerable and can get got in their dynastic run, because at some point, Brady no longer had Randy Moss, he no longer had Welker. At some point, Mahomes will no longer have Kelce, and is this the beginning of the Chiefs potentially hanging onto the past? Is this the moment where they are not able to transition?”
Even though Kansas City managed to find itself on the cusp of a historic championship three-peat, there’s still a lot of ground to cover before they can contend with the likes of Tom Brady’s reign with the New England Patriots. From 2001 to 2019, the Patriots managed to claim nine AFC championships.
While Mahomes and co. have managed to produce five in the last six years, their still roughly halfway to achieving the standard that was set forth by New England. Factor in that the Chiefs just experienced what was nearly the most lopsided loss in Super Bowl history, and it’s fair to say that their dynasty could be in jeopardy.
From Lombardi trophies to conference titles, the Chiefs have effectively managed to replicate the first half of the Patriots’ dynasty, a fact that in and of itself is a testament to just how dominant Brady and the Patriots were. Having dominated the NFL for the better part of two decades, it’s unlikely that fans will be able to witness that level of excellence again anytime soon.
Then again, if there’s anyone who has proven themselves capable of doing so, it’s the pride and joy of Kansas City himself, Patrick Mahomes.
