Stephen A. Smith said on Tuesday that Travis Kelce leave the sport after this season ends. The ESPN expert laid out his case for why the Kansas City Chiefs tight end should hang his boots.
He brought up the tight end's engagement to Taylor as a major reason in his prediction.
"I think that you could see the handwriting that's on the wall," Smith said, via People. "The guy is so talented and there are so many other things that he could do outside of football that now would be the time for him to step away."
Smith emphasized that he doesn't have insider knowledge, he made a guess work about Kelce based on what he's seen.
Stephen A. Smith gives retirement suggestion to Travis Kelce
Stephen A. Smith noted Travis Kelce's engagement with Taylor Swift when explaining why retirement makes sense.
"Obviously he has a beautiful lady in his life, where there's a lot of good things for him to go home to," Smith said. "And so, because of that, I think the combination of all of those things."
Smith also made a prediction about Kelce's career after taking retirement from the sport. The expert said that television networks would jump at the chance to hire him.
"He would instantly make it in television," Smith said. "Instantly. He'll have a job waiting for him the second he's finished. The second he's finished, he'll have a job waiting for him because that's just what he brings to the table."
The Chiefs could miss the playoffs for the very first time since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018. Kansas City faces elimination from postseason contention with a defeat to the Chargers on Sunday.
Kelce told the Chiefs that he was coming for the 2025 season less than a week after Philadelphia beat Kansas City in the Super Bowl. His contract ends after this season and he has not said whether he'll play in 2026.