Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid doesn't know for certain if Travis Kelce will walk away from the NFL after a Jan. 4 battle with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he knows beyond the shadow of a doubt how he feels about the veteran tight end.
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"I think his numbers and personality and the person, I think, speak for themselves," Reid told reporters on Tuesday. "Phenomenal person, great for the community. Has been great for the community.
"He's everything you want from a player representing an organization."
Reid and Kelce have been together since Big Red first came to Kansas City in 2013. He took over as head coach and then drafted the former Cincinnati tight end with a third-round pick.
Reid has watched Kelce go from a fresh face in the organization to one that has accounted for nearly 13,000 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns. He has seen him earn 11 trips to the Pro Bowl and four All-Pro nods.
The Super Bowl-winning head coach faced questions about Kelce ahead of Thursday's matchup with the rival Denver Broncos. This game marks the final time this season that the AFC West teams will meet at Arrowhead Stadium, so it could be the final time that Kelce suits up in from of the home fans.
The veteran playmaker is closing out the final year of his two-year, $34,250,000 extension and will become a free agent after the regular season ends.
Kelce has remained coy about his future and whether he will retire after a 13-year career in which he won the Super Bowl three times. He has not provided a concrete answer despite dogged efforts from those outside of his personal life.
That doesn't mean that NFL fans and analysts alike haven't picked up on what they believe to be hints. The most notable is a clip from the "New Heights" podcast, which Kelce does with brother Jason.
The two brothers spent time discussing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a serious knee injury that ended his season. It was during this conversation that Kelce referred to the Chiefs as a team instead of saying "we," which immediately made many people proclaim that the veteran tight end would indeed retire.
"He's a fearless, fearless warrior when it comes to this football thing," Kelce said about Mahomes. "He's gonna make sure he comes back stronger than ever. Hopefully, the Chiefs can get him back as soon as possible."
