With all the advances in sports science these days, the fact that Travis Kelce is 35 years old may not seem like a big deal. But it is. He plays tight end, a very physical position. Because of that, only six times since the merger has a tight end aged 35 or older recorded 750+ yards in a season. Kelce did it this year, but he has clearly started to lose his battle with Father Time over the last couple of campaigns, which has led to speculation about retirement. Gronk, however, says — hold your horses.
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Future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski knows a thing or two about retiring from the NFL. After all, he did it twice. However, he was only 32 when he called it quits for good. And, even though Kelce is currently three years older than Gronk was when he retired, Gronk believes his TE rival looks better now than he did when he first retired in 2019 at the age of 30.
The former Patriots tight end remarked that he looked “beat up” during his final years, whereas Kelce, he says, is “having fun” and still running routes like a pro, contributing when it matters most. Kelce has even neared 100 catches this season, with 97 this year — surpassing Gronk’s career high of 90.
“I was so beat up, I was running slow. The game’s not fun when you’re not on top of your game. But Travis Kelce is a little different story. He looks like he’s still having fun out there… he’s getting out of his breaks, he catches the ball, he’s still making moves. He looks healthy, he does not look beat up. His speed is still there, his explosiveness is still there, and that’s why he had almost 100 catches this year,” Gronkowski told Kay Adams.
.@robgronkowski would be SHOCKED if Travis Kelce retired after the SB… win or lose 😲@heykayadams @tkelce @Chiefs | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/gzDww4s5mA
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 5, 2025
Gronkowski also talked about the Patrick Mahomes effect. Despite all of his accomplishments, the Chiefs QB is still only 29 years old. He’s got a lot of glory left to come, and a competitor like Kelce would have a hard time watching him have more success knowing his body was still healthy enough to contribute.
“I would be shocked if he walked away… Patrick Mahomes is still so young, does he wanna retire and sit back and relax and watch Patrick Mahomes absolutely be on top of his game still? And be like, ‘Wow, I could still be out there, and look what Patrick Mahomes is still doing, and I could be the main guy still and be a part of that? Nah, I’m gonna play a couple more years and let my body tell me.'”
And of course, there’s that legacy. Kelce is approaching nearly every tight end record there is. Among TEs, he’s currently 3rd in receptions (1,004), 3rd in receiving yards (12,151), 5th in TDs (77), and 1st in 100-yard games (38).
He’s the king of the postseason, too. He leads all players—not just TEs—with 174 receptions and sits behind only the great Jerry Rice in receiving yards (2,039) and receiving TDs (20).
All of that is surely on Travis Kelce’s mind, because he’s been pretty adamant himself that he wants to play past Super Bowl 59.
“Hopefully still playing football. I love doing this, I love coming into work every day… I feel like I still have a lot of good football left in me,” Kelce said.
Kelce’s pop icon girlfriend, Taylor Swift, who is 35 years old as well, believe it or not, has also served as an inspiration for Kelce to keep performing at the highest level despite his age.
“If she’s out here being the superstar she is, never taking no for an answer, and always working her tail off, I better match that energy for sure.”
Travis Kelce is also on the brink of making Super Bowl history on Sunday. With three receptions, he will pass Rice (33) for the most receptions in Super Bowl history. Kelce’s 350 career receiving yards in the Super Bowl also rank 4th all-time. With 15 yards in Super Bowl 59, he could jump past Gronkowski and Lynn Swann and up into 2nd place behind only Rice once again.
