"I'm sorry for how it ended": Travis Kelce makes feelings clear after confronting 'hard reality' of crushing Super Bowl loss

In the end, there was no glory to boast about for Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. In the buildup to Super Bowl 59, all the talk was focused on how the Chiefs were on the brink of the unthinkable - winning three Super Bowls in a row.

The fact that Mahomes was 8-0 against Vic Fangio's defense prior to Sunday night's game was taken as an omen that the Chiefs would be immortalized when all was said and done in New Orleans.

Instead, the Chiefs were shut out in the first half of football, managed to put six points on the board in the third quarter, and only racked up 16 more points after the Eagles took their foot off the gas and Nick Sirianni was doused in lemon yellow Gatorade.

Travis Kelce didn't make an appearance on the podium after the game but did give a short interview to reporters where he outlined that the most "shocking" part of that loss was that they as a team hadn't played that bad all year. On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce made his feelings clear in full after what was a thoroughly crushing Super Bowl loss.

“It just wasn’t our day. Couldn’t find a lick of momentum. I’m kicking myself for some of the tiny tiny decisions I made on the field. I wasn’t the best leader that I could be in motivating my guys and keeping my guys calm and cool and collected," Kelce said.

"It’s a tough pill to swallow. It’s a hard reality."

Kelce ended his train of thought by saying he was sorry for how it all ended on Sunday night at Caesars Superdome.

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Chiefs still waiting on Travis Kelce's retirement decision

Kelce didn't field any questions about potentially riding off into the sunset after what was eventually a blowout loss to Philly. Patrick Mahomes made an appearance on the podium, saying that he would leave the decision squarely up to Kelce, given the respect he has for him as a teammate.

Mahomes added that it's solely up to Kelce to decide if he still wants to grind it out in the offseason to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy when the Super Bowl is in San Francisco in 2026.

Kelce, the league's highest-paid tight end, has spent all 12 of his years with the Chiefs and has one more year left on the two-year extension he signed that was worth $34.25 million. Per OverThe Cap, Kelce will carry a cap hit of $19,801,496 in the 2025 season and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026, though it's unlikely that he will suit up for another franchise.

If they cut him, the Chiefs could stand to save $17 million this coming season.