Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t playing in Super Bowl LX, but he was in town for the game at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, California.
As Kelce continues to think about his retirement decision, he’s been enjoying the NFL lifestyle, and was nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. So, he showed up at NFL Honors ahead of the big game on Thursday, Feb. 5, and although he didn’t win, he was the star of the event. The 2026 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award instead went to Bobby Wagner.
Kelce also took center stage at the Super Bowl, with cameras panning to him on the field. Now, Kelce is breaking his silence about the Seattle Seahawks’ definitive win over the New England Patriots and congratulating one of his buddies.
On Monday, Feb. 9, Seahawks tight end AJ Barner took to social media to celebrate winning the Super Bowl. Barner, a former Michigan Wolverine, attended Tight End University in 2025, which Kelce hosts along with San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle and former NFL player Greg Olsen. So, Barner and Kelce know each other from that event.
Barner was an integral part of Super Bowl LX and clocked four catches for 54 yards, including the first touchdown of the showdown.
“Congrats big dawg,” Kelce wrote on Barner’s Instagram post with three exclamation marks and a trophy and fire emoji. Kelce’s comment has garnered nearly 900 likes.
Now, all NFL teams are officially in the offseason, and it’s crunch time for Kelce to make a decision about whether or not he’s going to retire from the league.
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Kelce wrapped up the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2025-26 season by notching 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns, according to NFL research. While those numbers and statistics weren’t his peak, they’re still solid.
According to research from NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Kansas City Chiefs want Kelce to return for the 2026-27 season. “The plan is to reconvene after the Super Bowl to finalize a plan that works for both parties,” Rapoport reported in the Sunday, Feb. 8 story.
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Kelce ended the last year of a two-year, $34.25 million extension last season, so he’ll need a new deal to play in the 2026-27 season. According to Over the Cap, Kansas City is $50 million-plus over the projected cap of more than $300 million.
As for Kelce’s decision, Rapoport promises to “expect clarity sooner, rather than later, on Kelce.”
