"They're going to get a new tight end": Stephen A Smith spells doom for Travis Kelce after SNF loss to Texans amid retirement buzz

Arnold
NFL: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs - Source: Imagn
Stephen A Smith spells doom for Travis Kelce after SNF loss to Texans amid retirement buzz - Source: Imagn

Travis Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs suffered a 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season on Sunday night. It was Kansas City's seventh loss of the season, serving as another setback to its hopes of making the playoffs.

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On Monday, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith reacted to the Chiefs' loss to Houston while suggesting that Kelce might be playing his last season in the NFL.

"You're going to get a new tight end, because I think Travis Kelce is going to retire, and you've got to show up at that offensive line outside of that," Smith said on "First Take." "I mean, if it wasn't for those couple of things, where would we be? How would we be talking about the Chiefs? Let's take last night's game into consideration. He finished with a 19.8 passer rating, which was the worst of Patrick Mahomes' career ... obviously, their first ballot shoot future Hall of Fame tight end in Travis Kelce.
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"I mean, this is probably the end for him, I think we all knew that. I think we all knew he just came back because of the way they went out in the Super Bowl against the Eagles. That's the only reason I think he came back this year. I think this is it for him, and so you got to replace him.
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Kelce recorded eight yards on one reception against the Texans. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes struggled as he went 14 of 33 for 160 yards and three interceptions.

Kelce has been with the Chiefs since they drafted him in the third round in 2013. He has been to five Super Bowls and won three.

Kelce has earned a Pro Bowl selection in each of his past 10 seasons in Kansas City. However, there have been signs that he might call it quits after this season since he is also in the final year of his current Chiefs deal.

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Travis Kelce's Chiefs will face the LA Chargers in Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce - Source: Getty
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce - Source: Getty

Travis Kelce's Chiefs (6-7) will face the LA Chargers (8-4) in Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season on Sunday. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Chiefs have no chance of winning the AFC West this season. However, they need to win their remaining regular-season games to give themselves the best chance of making the postseason. Kansas City will need to rely on other results to go its way as well.

Houston Texans Fans! Check out the latest Houston Texans Schedule and dive into the Texans Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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