KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Despite the Chiefs getting eliminated from the NFL's postseason last week, Travis Kelce, the team's star tight end, plans to play in each of the final three games this season.
A 13-year veteran, Kelce knows those three games -- starting Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, then Christmas Day against the Denver Broncos and the finale against the Las Vegas Raiders -- could be the final ones of his illustrious career.
"It's just integrity, man," Kelce said following Friday's practice. "I signed up to be a Chief, and I love doing what I do. I know I've been dreaming of being in these moments and playing for an NFL team since I was a kid. Getting back to that will give you more motivation than you could ever need. That's just how you need to go about work, whether you're in the [playoff] race or not.
"I'm going to make sure these guys know I'm out there giving them everything I got."
A month ago, Kelce shared that he plans to decide whether to retire or return to the Chiefs by early March, before NFL free agency begins. Kelce, who is in the final year of his contract, expressed that he understands just how difficult it was for his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, to retire after the 2023 season.
When asked whether he had already considered that last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers could have been his final game playing alongside quarterback Patrick Mahomes, his best friend on the roster, Kelce uttered four words: "Oh man, that's crazy."
For much of this season, Kelce, 36, has spoken about his future through only this season, and he did so again Friday.
"I think I'd rather just keep the focus on this team, right now," Kelce said. "All the conversations that I have with the team moving forward will be with them. It's a unique time in my life. I've got three games left. Unfortunately, I've got three games left and I know when the season ends. Just trying to make sure everybody here knows that I'm focused on trying to win games [in] these last three games."
Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee with less than two minutes remaining in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. The next day, the team announced, Mahomes underwent a successful surgery to repair his ACL and the torn LCL, with the surgery performed by Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys' head team physician.
Since then, Kelce has spoken with Mahomes, who began his rehab Tuesday.
"'That's my brother. I know everything he's going through," Kelce said of Mahomes. "It's just disappointing, and then, on top of that, it's just an absolute dagger into the back, knowing how the season ended for [Mahomes] on our last hope going into the last drive of [Sunday's] game. It looked like we were going to have a chance to maybe come out with the win and keep our [playoff] hopes alive. It just kept going downhill from there.
"It sucks, man, but that's the reality of it. We've got three games left to try to enjoy it with the guys in this building. On top of that, Chiefs kingdom deserves us to go out there and play our hearts out for them."
Kelce leads the Chiefs in targets (92), receptions (67), yards (797), touchdowns (5) and receiving first downs (42). The Arizona Cardinals' Trey McBride (1,071) is the only tight end with more yards than Kelce.
This past offseason, Kelce did what he did when he was a younger player: He trained in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with Tony Villani -- this time looking to recapture some of the speed, agility and quickness he felt he had lost over the past two seasons. The noticeable improvement in athleticism has allowed Kelce to regain a trait that made him one of the league's greatest pass catchers: He has outwitted opposing defenses with 409 yards after the catch, third most among tight ends.
"I thought he's had a heck of a year," coach Andy Reid said of Kelce. "I thought he played well, great leadership, obviously, and I thought it was a step up even from what he [showed] last year. He made that a point this offseason and really focused in, coming in great shape. It's helped him throughout the year. He's been able to maintain that."
If Kelce records 203 receiving yards in the final three games, he will become the oldest tight end in the NFL's history to record 1,000 yards in a season. But Kelce only wants to accomplish the feat in a certain manner.
"If it comes with winning three games for the guys I go to work with, man, then yeah, without a doubt," Kelce said. "You could roll the balls out in a Walmart parking lot, man. Sign me up, baby. [If] I get a chance to play in the NFL, I'm going to do it."