Travis Kelce was warned about this before the season

After pondering retirement following a blowout Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce decided that’s not how he wanted to go out and elected to return for another season with the team. Unfortunately, this season is coming to an even less storybook ending than last season did.

With a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers – a third-straight loss and their fifth loss in six games – the Chiefs have officially been eliminated from playoff contention with three games left in the regular season. In the team’s loss to the Texans, which was perhaps the most pivotal of any of those losses, Kelce had just one catch for eight yards, along with a crucial drop that turned into what was essentially a game-sealing interception.

Needless to say, it’s almost certainly not what Kelce envisioned when he decided to return to Kansas City for another year. However, he was warned about this well in advance.

Shortly after Kelce announced his decision to return to the league, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk

“You can’t engineer your exit,” Florio warned back in March. “There’s a chance that next year’s exit is going to be worse, not better. Not many guys get to say I went out with a Super Bowl game.”

“There’s a good chance that Travis Kelce is going to exit after this year with something far less than a Super Bowl loss,” Florio added.

Obviously, that’s exactly what happened.

It’s worth noting that Kelce indicated that his Super Bowl aspirations were not the only reason why he returned. He said during an episode of his New Heights podcast that “the biggest thing” that convinced him to return to Kansas City for another season was the feeling “like there’s a responsibility in me to play out the contract I initially signed and give Kansas City my best.”

That said, Kelce also said that the loss to the Eagles left a “bad taste” in his mouth, and he admitted that his retirement decision might have been different had the Chiefs won that game.

If Kelce did return seeking another Super Bowl ring, he is ending his season – and perhaps his career – disappointed. But he was warned.

“I hope he doesn’t come back thinking ‘Alright, we’ll just go back to the Super Bowl and win it next year,’” Florio said back in March. “No one is guaranteed the storybook finish, because it rarely happens. Even Tom Brady.”