KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This might’ve been Travis Kelce’s final home game as a Kansas City Chief before retirement. Maybe. Perhaps.

But here’s the rub after the Chiefs’ 20-13 home loss to the Denver Broncos on a mild Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium.

Kelce didn’t perform like a player who’d reached the twilight. Or one who needs to walk away to save himself from falling off a proverbial cliff.

The proof of that? His team’s final offensive play might summarize it best.

The Chiefs had a fourth-and-8 at the Broncos’ 26 with 20 seconds left, trailing by seven with one last chance to pull off an unlikely comeback. And third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun got to run the play he’d requested — one he’d handpicked during a night-before meeting with coaches.

After getting the snap, the defensive picture in front of him played out as he anticipated.

“We knew two were probably going to collect on Trav,” Oladokun said. “It’s exactly what happened.”

Oladokun ended up choosing the single-covered guy to throw to. He lofted an end-zone pass to receiver Hollywood Brown, who couldn’t come up with it for an incompletion that resulted in a turnover on downs.

But rewind that once again.

The 36-year-old Kelce — in his 13th pro season — had just caught three passes on that drive for 23 yards (“He’s the greatest tight end of all time,” Oladokun would later say. “I’d be a fool not to lean on him a little bit.”)

And then, when one play was about to determine the game, the Broncos made an intentional and calculated decision after Kelce lined up in the slot.

They were going to put two defenders on him, all the other receivers be damned.

The one person on the field the Broncos were not going to let win the game was Kelce.

“That’s the story of his career,” Oladokun said.

On this night, a significant portion of Prime Video’s telecast was used to pay tribute to the greatness of Kelce’s legacy. The cameras followed him on the bench and focused in after the game, looking to track him just in case these were his last competitive steps at Arrowhead Stadium.

And Kelce very well could retire after this season. He has a whole life ahead of him waiting in the entertainment industry, whether that’s acting in movies or hosting TV shows or participating in future dance cameos with pop star fiancee Taylor Swift.

Kelce, though, is vowing not to discuss his future football plans just yet. His intent for now is to take some time after the season to clear his mind before making a final call.

“Honestly, I’ve been just focused on trying to win football games, man,” Kelce said during a news conference after the game. “I’ll let that be a decision that I make with my family, friends, the Chiefs organization when the time comes.”

Kelce making plays!

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— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2025

At some point, though, games like Thursday’s will have to cross his mind when coming to that choice.

And surely, at a certain juncture, this will go through his head, too.

Am I actually still really good at this?

History has been littered with sports heroes who tried to hang on too long — athletes who became shells of their former selves, then only gave up the dream long after their expiration date had passed.

And though Kelce doesn’t have the same speed or hip-swivel he possessed in his glory days, that hasn’t kept him from remaining one of the Chiefs’ top overall contributors during this 2025 season.

Entering this week, Kelce ranked third among all tight ends with 803 receiving yards. After getting into better shape and losing noticeable weight this offseason, Kelce has surpassed his receiving total from last season (839-823) with a game left to pad his stats.

And that doesn’t even take into account what other benefits the Chiefs get from his presence.

Oladokun, for one, said Kelce was the one hyping him up all game. Even after a quarter in which Kelce had no receptions, he made his way over to his QB on this sideline.

“We’re gonna get this thing going,” Oladokun remembers Kelce telling him.

“I can’t say enough good things about Trav,” Oladokun said. “He’s the best.”

When the Chiefs really needed Kelce late, he delivered, too.

Oladokun — in his first NFL start — targeted Kelce on his first three passes of the Chiefs’ final two-minute drill. Those went for 4, 5 and then 14 yards.

“He was balling,” Chiefs running back Brashard Smith said of Kelce. “He comes with that energy every game. That’s normal with Trav.”

Suddenly, the Chiefs had driven to the Broncos’ 28-yard line in just four plays.

And the Broncos had seen enough. Kelce was no longer going to carry the Chiefs on his back — and especially not on the final fourth-down play.

Kelce, for his part, didn’t talk much about his in-game emotions afterward. He joked that this game had extra meaning because it was “a Christmas game, baby.” He also said he wasn’t giving any thought to this potentially being his Arrowhead Stadium curtain call.

There was one pregame moment, however, that seemed a little different. After running through the tunnel onto the field, Kelce appeared to take an extra beat to soak in the crowd’s reaction.

“You only get a few of those,” Kelce said, “where you just get to stand there and appreciate the scene.”

Kelce seemingly has one game left this season. The Chiefs will play at the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 3 or 4, in another contest where he’ll be at the center of media focus.

For one more night on Thursday, though, Kelce wasn’t just playing out the string on a storied career. He was affecting the game from all angles.

And not only did the Chiefs’ third-string quarterback see that clearly on the game’s final play. He also expected it to happen.

“Obviously, everyone in Chiefs Kingdom would love to have him back,” Oladokun said. “The game loves and needs Trav, so we’ll see.”