The Kansas City Chiefs’ nightmare 2025 season has officially bled into the offseason, with news that may signal the end of a dynasty’s core. Travis Kelce, selected to his 11th consecutive Pro Bowl despite the team’s struggles, has formally withdrawn from the event. In his place, the NFL has named Buffalo Bills rising star Dalton Kincaid to the AFC roster.
While Pro Bowl withdrawals are common in the modern NFL, Kelce’s exit has struck a different chord. Unlike previous years where rest was required for a Super Bowl run, or where nagging injuries forced a decision, reports indicate Kelce is not currently rehabilitating a specific new injury. Instead, the move appears to be a personal decision to step away from the game entirely for the moment, fueling the loudest retirement whispers of his Hall of Fame career.
The context surrounding the decision is stark. The Chiefs finished the 2025 season with a shocking 6-11 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season. The collapse was punctuated by a season-ending ACL tear to quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Week 15, leaving the franchise in a state of uncertainty not seen in a decade.
For Kelce, who will turn 37 later this year, the prospect of a long rehabilitation period for his quarterback and a potential roster rebuild may be influencing his timeline.
Kelce himself has done little to quell the rumors. On a January 7 episode of his New Heights podcast, he spoke candidly about the emotional toll of the losing season.
“It’s a tough way to go out, especially with the amount of success and the standard that you hold,” Kelce admitted to his brother, Jason. “I think, yeah, just being a regular human for a couple weeks, maybe a month or so, trying to figure out what I’m gonna do next in terms of my future in football.”
Fans have also latched onto the changing of the guard at the tight end position. The selection of Dalton Kincaid as his replacement feels almost symbolic. Kincaid, who has often been compared to Kelce for his receiving ability, represents the next generation of AFC tight ends.
Further stoking the fire is a teaser for the upcoming “Super Bowl Edition” of the New Heights podcast, where Kelce is expected to address his offseason plans directly. Until then, Chiefs Kingdom is left to wonder if they have already seen the last of Number 87 in a Kansas City uniform.
If this is indeed the end, Kelce leaves as arguably the greatest to ever play the position, but his departure would mark a definitive and somber close to the Chiefs’ golden era.
