HOFer Cris Carter calls it the end of Travis Kelce’s career after Chiefs are eliminated from playoff contention

Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are eliminated from the playoffs. The perennial Super Bowl winners were defeated by the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 and will now watch the playoffs from home.

While speaking with Kay Adams, Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter asked Travis Kelce to call it a career.

“When he picks up the football, his goal is not to fumble and he can’t make anyone lose anymore…Father Time is undefeated.”

Carter enjoyed a 16-year professional career and retired from the game after the 2002 season. He knows a thing or two about not being able to perform at your best.

Carter might have a point, as Kelce has as many fumbles (five) as touchdowns (five) in the 2025 regular season. That’s a high-level sack run for the normally assured tight end, and it’s led to numerous missed plays for the Chiefs.

Kelce finished the Week 15 loss with a stat line of seven catches, 70 receiving yards and zero TDs, watching his superstar QB Patrick Mahomes suffer a season-ending ACL injury. Kelce now has three more games to make a decision about his future playing at the highest level.

Travis Kelce and the Chiefs take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 16

The rest of the Kansas City ChiefsThe season can be seen as an extended bye Travis Kelce. The Chiefs will miss the playoffs for the first time in the Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce era.

Next up for last year’s defeated Super Bowl finalists is a trip to Tennessee to face the Titans. It is a game that is marked as a favorite.

The Heads will have their final home game of the season in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos. It’s a game that could have some sentimental significance depending on Kelce’s decision about his future. The Broncos are currently one of the hottest teams in the league.

The Heads will close the campaign with a trip to Las Vegas to face the Raiders. They will then have a number of decisions to make in the offseason.