Travis Kelce says he’ll play ‘until the wheels fall off’ amid retirement rumors, as Chiefs tight end says he is ‘f***ing excited’ to face Ravens in AFC Championship

Travis Kelce has vowed to play ‘until the wheels come off’ following speculation he would retire at the end of the season.

Kelce, 34, is in his 11th NFL season, and former sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya recently claimed he would follow his brother Jason into retirement at the end of the year.

But in a new bonus episode of ‘the brothers’New Heights PodcastTravis didn’t seem ready to let go of football anytime soon.

“I haven’t found anything outside of football that challenges me, like play-off football,” he said. ‘And I don’t know if I’ll ever find it. And that’s one of the things that keeps me playing this game until the wheels fall off.

“It’s an energy and an excitement that I haven’t found anywhere else in the world, and it’s something that I certainly cherish,” he added.

Kelce had 75 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Buffalo during the divisional round

Tafoya, formerly of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” had made her claim during an interview with CBS Sports Radio’s Marc Ryan.

“I think Travis Kelce is going to retire after this season, just like his brother, so I think there’s a lot of motivation for (the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl). … I think they are very motivated,” she said.

Kelce had 75 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Buffalo as the Chiefs defeated the Bills in the divisional round.

The elder Kelce’s retirement has not yet been confirmed, but Jason, 36, reportedly told his Eagles teammates that he is retiring after the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs by the Buccaneers.

Jason has since supported Travis during the Chiefs’ playoff games, when he took off his shirt and jumped into the crowd last weekend in Buffalo during his first meeting with Taylor Swift, who is dating Travis.

This weekend, Kansas City travels to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

Behind MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson and their usually stout defense, the Ravens went 13-4 this season while atop the AFC standings.

“They’re No. 1 this year for a reason,” Kelce said of Baltimore. “They played their best football from Week 1 to Week 17 and right now they’re playing their best football. And it’s going to be a big challenge, man, big challenge. But damn does that turn you on!’

On Friday, Kelce showered his quarterback Patrick Mahomes with praise as the Chiefs prepared for the AFC Championship.

Kelce spoke to reporters on Friday and showered his quarterback Patrick Mahomes with praise

“The naysayers can say what they want, but he’s playing his best football right now and you can see why he’s the best quarterback in the league.”

After winning two Super Bowls together, Kelce also reflected on his journey with Mahomes and Kansas City so far as they look to defend last season’s title.

“Man, it’s been one hell of a ride so far, baby, and I don’t feel like getting off the roller coaster anytime soon,” he said. ‘But I was lucky that fifteen of them landed here.

“And on top of that, he was willing to grow, not only with me, but with coach Reid and his offense. And I’m trying to build this thing to where it is today. Hopefully we continue to rise in the direction we want to go.”