‘Are you kidding me? – Gronk weighs in on Travis Kelce retirement and why Mahomes situation is different to his with Brady’s

Travis Kelce is at a crossroads in his career.

After a blowout defeat in Super Bowl LIX at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has a decision to make.

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Retire and ride off into the sunset with superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift, or return to Kansas City for at least one more season for another go at the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs great recently admitted he is considering his future as the wear and tear of NFL life begins to take its toll on his body.

However, according to fellow TE legend Rob Gronkowski, Kelce has at least two more seasons in the tank.

“I believe he can go another two years,” Gronk told Kay Adams on Tuesday’s Up and Adams.

“We’re talking about his stats being down – are you kidding me?

“How are your stats down if you have 80+ catches at 35 years of age.

“I think I’ve only had 80+ catches one time in my career and I was 22 years old.

“He’s the security blanket, he gets first downs whenever they need him to. If you watch him run routes, he’s very smooth and crisp with them.

“It’s just one of those years.”

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Kelce managed 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns last season — his lowest totals since 2014.

He still managed to become the fastest tight end ever to rack up 12,000 yards and surpassed Tony Gonzalez as the Chiefs’ all-time touchdown leader.

Nevertheless, Kelce still statistically had down last year, with his role set to change even if he does return next season.

The 2023 third round draft pick has redefined the position over his career, making him a shoo-in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer after setting nearly every possible NFL record for tight end.

The three-time Super Bowl winner’s relationship with quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been the linchpin of the Chiefs’ dynasty, which came agonizingly close to a Super Bowl three-peat this season.

Their on-field chemistry is not unlike that of Gronkowski’s and Tom Brady’s.

Brady and Gronk were central to the New England Patriots’ success, winning three Super Bowls together during their time in Foxborough.

Gronk briefly retired in 2019, only to be tempted out of retirement by Brady to join him on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Hall of Fame QB-TE tandem went on to win a fourth Super Bowl ring together, Super Bowl LV against Kelce’s Chiefs.

There’s many a similarity between the iconic duos but for Gronk, Kelce and Mahomes’ situation is different to his with Brady’s.

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“Those two together [Mahomes and Kelce], they’re an unstoppable duo,” he said.

“It’s a different situation from Tom and I’s. Tom was a quarterback who was ten years older than me and I was the young buck.

“This is different because Travis is the one that’s so much older than Mahomes. And they have this chemistry that’s unbelievable – you really don’t see that a lot with a quarterback that’s much younger than a receiver or tight end.

“It’s great to see what Kelce and done with Mahomes and how Kelce has developed him. You have to give Travis credit for that big time.

Kelce was tight-lipped about his NFL future after the humbling defeat to the Eagles. Mahomes said that he planned to give Kelce time.

Three days after the Super Bowl, Kelce addressed the rumors on his New Heights podcast while remaining tight lipped.

“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I‘m playing next year,” the 35-year-old said. “Right now I am just kicking everything down the road. I am kicking every can I can down the road.

“I’m not making any crazy decisions, but right now, the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding that there’s a lot that goes into this thing.”

According to The Athletic, the Chiefs want a decision on Kelce’s future by March 14 when his $11.5 million roster bonus kicks in.

If he decided to quit after that date the franchise would be left with $19.8 million in dead cap compared to $2.5 million if the decision is made earlier.