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Travis Kelce‘s longtime mentor and friend, Cris Carter, hinted that the Kansas City Chiefs star was gearing up for his final NFL season, sharing a cryptic Instagram post on Monday, July 20, just weeks after Kelce married Taylor Swift.
Carter, a Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver, shared a photo of himself with Kelce and their training partner Andrew Spruill on Instagram, with a note over the photo.
“Andrew [Spruill] and I started with Travis before his rookie year in the NFL. Know the [GOAT] is preparing for THE LAST DANCE. Next stop Canton/HOF,” it read. Spruill, 41, responded in the comments, writing, “What a ride it’s been!!!”
The post comes as Kelce prepares for training camp ahead of his 14th NFL season, with speculation about his retirement swirling for the past several years.
The photo shared by Carter was taken at Johnny O’s Gymnasium in Boca Raton, Florida, where Kelce had been training in preparation for camp. In the image, Kelce wore a black Bearcats T-shirt and matching shorts, a nod to his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, along with red and black Nike sneakers.
He also had his arm around Carter’s shoulder, showing off the wedding band from his recent marriage to Swift.
Kelce and Swift, both 36, married on July 3 in New York City in a ceremony held at Madison Square Garden in front of roughly 1,000 guests, with Adam Sandler officiating the ceremony.
Carter’s post came months after Kelce openly discussed retirement during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“The Chiefs knew where I was the entire time on it,” Kelce told McAfee, adding that stepping back to let his emotions settle and assessing his body’s condition were part of the process. He continued, “Man, I’m still in love with this game. I still love going to work, putting on the pads, grinding it out and just playing the game.”
Kelce ultimately put any retirement talk to rest in March, when he confirmed he would return to the Chiefs for a 14th season. In the Instagram page for his “New Heights” podcast, which he hosts with his brother Jason, the news of his return was announced on March 9, with a caption, “HE’S BACK!!! TRAVIS KELCE IS BACK WITH THE CHIEFS FOR YEAR 14,” with an animated video of the KCC tight end.
The NFL also marked the announcement on Instagram, with a montage of clips during his games, writing, “he’s not done yet.”
Retirement speculation intensified after Kansas City’s disappointing 2025-26 campaign, with Kelce taking time to evaluate whether he wanted to continue playing before ultimately committing to another season.
Kelce has also acknowledged that next year’s decision may not come as easily. He said, “Who knows? Either it hits me quick, or I gotta take some time. Last year was a little bit easier. I think I knew right away I wanted to give this year a shot. I don’t know. We’ll see.”
