HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 7 (UPI) — Bill Belichick may have left his coaching job, shocking the football world, but Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid dispelled rumors about potential retirement and tight end Travis Kelce said he plans to keep playing.
The Chiefs’ coach and star pass catcher confronted the rumors this week when meeting with the media ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.
Reid, 65, has been an NFL coach since 1992. Those 32 years of experience haven’t left a ton of room for other interests in his life.
“I’m not a golfer,” Reid told reporters Tuesday at a news conference at the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa in Henderson, Nev. “I don’t go fishing and all that stuff. So it’s either family or football or church.”
Reid faced questions about his retirement throughout the regular season and postseason, including on Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday in Las Vegas.
“My mom and dad told me this when they were working, ‘you’ll know when it’s time,” Reid said when asked if he’ll retire this off-season.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told Mad Dog Sports Radio on Tuesday that he was “surprised” by the speculation because he had no sense that Reid was ready to retire.
“I look forward to having Andy as our head coach for many more years,” Hunt said.
Reid is the active leader in wins (258) among NFL head coaches. He trails only Don Shula (328), George Halas (318) and Belichick (302) for wins on the all-time list. His 25 playoff wins trail only Belichick (31).
With a victory Sunday over the San Francisco 49ers, Reid can jump into a tie for fifth place for career Super Bowl titles at three.
Kelce, who experienced a rapid rise in off-field popularity this year because of his relationship with Taylor Swift, also gave no indication that he plans to quit playing. He did say he has thought about his post-football career.
“I’m always thinking about what’s next, and that’s always a question that you get when you’re later in your career and you start to fall off, so thanks for telling me that I’m not as good as I once was,” Kelce said Monday when asked about retirement.
Kelce said he will miss football when he does decide to retire. News broke earlier this off-season about his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, telling teammates that he plans to retire. Kelce said Monday that he’s thinking about his brother’s decision.
“I have so much love for this game,” Kelce said. “I can’t imagine not doing this for as long as I can, because I know I’ll miss it when it’s all said and done. I can’t put a timestamp on how long I’ll play.”
Kelce, 34, failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards this season for the first time since 2015. He hauled in 93 catches for 984 yards and five scores in 15 regular-season games.
The nine-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro ranks fourth all-time in career receiving yards for a tight end. His 74 career receiving scores are tied for fifth among tight ends.
