Booger McFarland calls for Travis Kelce to retire after Super Bowl loss: 'I think it's time'

Booger McFarland believes it’s time for Travis Kelce to call it a career. While appearing on SportsCenter on Wednesday, the former NFL defensive lineman and current ESPN NFL analyst was asked about Kelce’s future in the NFL following the Kansas City Chiefs loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.

“I retired from the National Football League after nine years. I knew it was time to retire when I was thinking about retirement. The fact that Travis Kelce, who is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, is thinking about retiring, I think it’s time for him to go on,” Booger McFarland said.

“It doesn’t mean that he still doesn’t have some football left. It just means that mentally you’re already at that position of retirement, it’s time to go ahead and go. His physical skills are diminishing a little bit. I thought he played his worst football game that I’ve ever seen him play in the Super Bowl. I get it, you don’t want to go out on that note. But at some point, let’s not tarnish the legacy that you built.”

Is it time for Travis Kelce to announce his retirement?

McFarland also said Kelce should not be forced to retire. “You’re talking about retirement, people are talking about retirement, I think it’s time for Travis Kelce to go ahead and retire,” he said. “I’m not forcing him. He’s earned the right to make that decision on his own. But when you start talking about it, it’s usually time to go ahead and go.”

Kelce finished his 12th season and the NFL and has spent his entire time with the Chiefs. And McFarland’s right, Kelce is a first-ballot Hall of Famer as he’s been named to the Pro Bowl 10 times, selected to the All-Pro Team seven times and is a three-time Super Bowl champion.

After the Super Bowl loss, Kelce talked about when he could make his decision. “I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” Kelce said to brother Jason on New Heights. “And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back that it’s gonna be a wholehearted decision and I’m not half-assing it, and I’m fully here for them.

“I think I can play, it’s just whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this story.