Travis Kelce Jokes About a $1.8 Billion NFL Exit: ‘Wouldn’t Have to Work Another Day in My Life’

A $1.8 billion lottery jackpot briefly gave Travis Kelce an easy retirement plan — at least in theory. “Man, if I could just win that, wouldn’t have to work another day in my life,” he joked after the Kansas City Chiefs’ Christmas loss to the Denver Broncos, before adding that any real decision would be made with his family, friends and the Chiefs organization.

Kelce’s joke landed at a rough time for the team. The Chiefs are already out of the playoff picture and have only one game left: a Week 18 trip to Allegiant Stadium to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 4. Kelce, who is in his 13th NFL season, goes into that finale with weeks of retirement questions already on his plate, even though he hasn’t said he’s walking away — at least not in any official capacity.

The Powerball angle is real, too. Kelce’s comments referred to the $1.8 billion jackpot that was actually won by a single ticket sold in Arkansas, meaning his tongue-in-cheek “lottery retirement” was off the table before he ever took the field. Financially, though, he’s hardly in crisis: estimates put his on-field career earnings around $111 million, while Taylor Swift’s net worth sits near $1.6 billion.

What has sounded less like a punchline is the way Kelce has talked about this season. In a recent sit-down with Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, per Talk Sport, he admitted he felt like he “let down” head coach Andy Reid during a year that saw Kansas City miss the postseason and lose quarterback Patrick Mahomes to an ACL tear. He also spoke on New Heights about “the Chiefs” getting Mahomes back next year — wording that helped fuel questions about whether he’ll be part of that picture.

All of that makes the obvious Week 18 question pretty straightforward: Is Taylor Swift going to the Chiefs–Raiders game? Swift has largely kept her NFL appearances to Chiefs home games the past two seasons, with recent coverage noting that, outside of Super Bowl trips, she has mostly stayed in Kansas City while limiting high-profile away-game shots for security reasons. If Kelce does decide that Las Vegas doubles as his final game, it would be one of the rare road environments where her presence would draw even more attention to an already loaded moment.

Off the field, the couple has already been laying groundwork for a post-NFL life, from Kelce’s acting and hosting projects to reports that they’re mapping out a 2026 wedding and talking about what comes after football. Earlier this month, insiders described how he wanted to be “set up for what’s next” as they plan that next chapter together.

For now, though, Kelce keeps the official line simple: he’s focused on finishing the season, and retirement will be a decision for him, his inner circle and the Chiefs once the year is over. Whether Swift is in the suite at Allegiant Stadium when that final whistle blows is still unknown — but the question is already baked into how fans are watching his last scheduled game.

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