Despite leading the fan vote for the 2026 Pro Bowl, Travis Kelce will not be participating in the annual gathering of the league’s best and most popular players.
The Buffalo Bills broke the news on Friday, January 23, revealing via X that tight end Dalton Kincaid is replacing Kelce, 36, on the AFC roster. The Buffalo News reported that Kincaid, 26, was an “injury replacement” for Kelce.
Kelce has not yet commented on backing out of the game, which will take place on Tuesday, February 3, at San Francisco’s Moscone Center South Building. It was the 11th time Kelce had been selected to the Pro Bowl during his 13-year NFL career.
For the second consecutive season, Kelce led fan voting for the Pro Bowl. Bills quarterback Josh Allen ranked second, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye placed third, followed by Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Bears safety Kevin Byard in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
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The Pro Bowl rosters are assembled by using a combination of votes from fans, coaches and players, with each group representing one-third of the overall tally.
Kelce’s choice to opt out of the game comes as the Kansas City Chiefs star weighs an even bigger decision about his future.
The tight end has not announced whether he plans on returning for a 14th NFL season or if he will retire.
“I’ve got so much love for this team, this organization and the people here, so I’ll spend some time with them, go through exit meetings tomorrow and get close to the family and figure things out,” Kelce told reporters after the Chiefs’ final game against the Las Vegas Raiders on January 4.
Kelce’s decision comes after a hugely disappointing season for the Chiefs, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
The NFL superstar faced a similar conundrum after the 2024 season, which saw Kansas City get dismantled in Super Bowl LIX by the Philadelphia Eagles.
That time around, Kelce “knew right away” that he wanted to come back, but he acknowledged this offseason would be different.
“Who knows? Either it hits me quick or I gotta take some time,” he said earlier this month, adding, “I think last year was a little bit easier.”
Kelce said the retirement conversation is “a tough thing to navigate” on the January 7 episode of his “New Heights” podcast.
“I think if my body can heal up and rest up and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18, 20, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat,” he said. “I think right now it’s just finding that answer and seeing how the body feels after this game and when it all settles down.”
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A source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month that Kelce had begun weighing his post-football career options.
The insider said Kelce has been in talks with Netflix to “serve as their exclusive broadcast sports correspondent.”
Terms of a potential deal are “still being finalized, but discussions are well underway,” according to the source.
A second source exclusively told Us that Kelce “has had talks with his team about retiring and not playing football next season,” which have been centered around what his next career move would be if he does decide to hang up his cleats.
