NFL legend Peyton Manning makes feelings on Travis Kelce retirement crystal clear as Chiefs star mulls future
NFL legend Peyton Manning has urged Travis Kelce not to rush any decision over his future as the Kansas City Chiefs star considers retirement.
The American struggled last week as the Eagles lost the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles, with Kelce unable to win the prestigious prize for the third year in a row.
The 35-year-old, who is dating Taylor Swift, has since confirmed that he’s considering whether to retire from the sport.
Kelce has little left to prove after a glittering career that has seen him win the Super Bowl on four separate occasions.
Yet Manning, speaking to E!News at the SNL 50th Anniversary Special, has now urged the Chiefs star to take as much time as possible.
“So, the last thing you want to do is say ‘OK, I’m going to make a decision now,'” he said.
“Take some time. Take a full month. Let some things digest and calm down. He can make a better decision then.”
Manning is, however, hopeful that Kelce will resist the temptation to walk away and return for the Chiefs next season.
“I hope he comes back and plays,” continued the NFL star.
“He’s fun to watch, but he’s got to do what’s best for him.”
Kelce has been left heartbroken by the Chiefs’ defeat to the Eagles, having seen his hopes of glory ruthlessly dashed.
Speaking in his New Heights podcast, the tight end admitted that he needed time to ‘figure it out’.
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He said: “I’m gonna take some time to figure it out.
“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-a**ing it, and I’m fully here for them.”
Kelce also fronted up over the defeat, admitting the Chiefs never really got going on the night as the Eagles ran riot.
“It just wasn’t our day. Couldn’t find a lick of momentum,” he continued.
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“I’m kicking myself for some of the tiny, tiny decisions I made on the field, trying to do something more than what I asked to do during plays.
“I wasn’t the best leader that I could be in motivating my guys and keeping my guys calm, cool and collected.
“I put a lot of that on myself as, you know, the guy that’s been in the building for 12 years and seen a lot of football and actually seen a situation just like this in the Super Bowl, talking about the Tampa Bay Super Bowl.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow, man.
“Every time we felt like we made a big play or we got something going, a penalty would happen or we’d be going backwards.
“Then, on top of that, just not executing the play calls. It wasn’t the play calls.
“It was the cumulative effort of everybody just not finding a way to get it done, man.
“To happen on the biggest stage sucks, but to have it happen for the second time of my career on the biggest stage, man, it’s a tough pill to swallow.”