Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce is about to head into his twelfth year with the team. Throughout his career, he has been dominant at the catch point and consistently manages to slip behind the defense for a wide-open pass.

Patrick Mahomes sounded off on his potential retirement, stating that it doesn't feel like he's close to hanging it up. However, the reality is that Kelce is closer to retirement than ever, and like it or not, the Chiefs will have to face that fact sooner or later.

Kelce has been able to accomplish amazing feats in his career and has been an integral part of the Chiefs dynasty. He had a seven-year streak between 2016 and 2022, where he managed to get more than 1,000 yards each season.

Even more impressive, the least amount of games he's played in a season is 15, showing his resilience and genuine love for the Chiefs Kingdom. Mahomes is a great player on his own, but he wouldn't have been nearly as successful if it weren't for Kelce backing him up and making clutch catch after clutch catch.

Kelce's still a good player, but it's obvious he's a shell of the player he used to be. 2024 was his worst statistical season, and it's not as if he's getting any younger. Bryan DeArdo is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he weighs in on where Kelce ranks amongst tight ends all-time.

"It's hard to nitpick Kelce's career, but if we are trying to figure out the greatest tight end in NFL history, we've got to look at everything. He's played his entire career inside the Chiefs' pass-first offense in an era where defensive backs are more limited than ever when it comes to what they can do against offensive players.

Kelce's disappearing act in the Chiefs' Super Bowl loss (4/39/0) to the Eagles also somewhat hurts him from a legacy standpoint. There's no shame in being No. 3 on the list of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, though. And Kelce still has (at least) one more year to state his case as the greatest of all time".

Kelce's time in the NFL is dwindling, and if he wants to make an even better case for the best at his position all time, he has to go out next season and play as if he were hungry. 2024 saw a lot of moments where he was lax in their offense, and the Chiefs cannot afford that if they don't want to start the season off slow.

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