Rob Gronkowski predicts when Travis Kelce will retire from NFL

Rob Gronkowski does not believe that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is ready to retire from the NFL. On3, recently caught up with the four-time Super Bowl champion tight end who explained why he sees Kelce playing at least a few more seasons.

“I see Travis Kelce continuing to play,” Kelce told On3. “If you watch him out in the field, he’s still very smooth in and out of his breaks. He knows what he’s doing, he can get open, he’s making big plays in the moments that he needs to make big plays. So I feel like watching him, he has about two, three years left in that tank. And if he’s loving playing, I don’t see why you would retire. And if you get three in a row, why won’t you go for four? Especially if Coach Andy Reid is there and also Patrick Mahomes is there as well, and he’ll be there for quite some time.”

Gronkowski made the comments before the Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday night. In the game, Kelce caught four passes for 39 yards, and the Chiefs lost 40-22. Kelce didn’t speak to the media after the game but did talk about his future in the NFL on his New Heights podcast with his brother, former Eagles offensive lineman Jason Kelce.

Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce are future Hall of Famers

“I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” Travis Kelce said. “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.”

If Kelce retires this offseason, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. In 12 seasons, Kelce caught 1,004 passes for 12,151 yards and 77 touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 10 times, named to the All-Pro Team seven times and is a three-time Super Bowl champion.

Kelce’s career is similar to Rob Gronkowski’s. In 12 seasons, Gronkowski was named to the Pro Bowl five times, selected to the All-Pro Team four times, and won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2014. He won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.