Patrick Mahomes addresses Travis Kelce retirement talk after Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss

Patrick Mahomes insisted his Kansas City Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce has a ‘lot of football’ left in him as speculation continues to swirl over his future in the NFL.

Eyeing up a historic three-peat, the Chiefs suffered a bruising 40-22 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in a one-sided affair in New Orleans.

Mahomes, in partiuclar, endured a tough night against a superb Eagles defence as he went after his third Super Bowl title in his fifth apperarance in the showpiece event

The quarterback was sacked six times, lost a fumble and threw two interceptions, the first of which was returned for a touchdown by Cooper DeJean in the second quarter.

Kelce, meanwhile, cut an emotional figure at full-time in what could prove the last match of his storied career.

The tight end has repeatedly brushed aside speculation surrounding his retirement, but reports prior to the Super Bowl suggested the 35-year-old would consider his future following Sunday’s result.

When quizzed on his teammates’ future after the defeat, Mahomes insisted Kelce should take time to consider his options but believes he still has more to give the sport.

‘He’s given so much to this team and to the NFL,’ Mahomes told reporters post-match.

‘And he’s such a joy for not only me to work with but for people to watch and so he knows he still has a lot of football left in him.

‘I mean you can see it, he always makes plays in the biggest moments but it’s if he wants to put in that grind and it’s a grind to go out there and play 20 games, whatever it is, and get to a Super Bowl. He’s done enough to be a gold jacket guy and first ballot Hall of Famer.

‘I know he still has love for the game and he’ll get to spend some time with his family and make that decision on his own but he knows he’ll come back here with welcome arms and we love that guy.’

Mahomes was also frank about his own performance on the night, adding: ‘We didn’t start how we wanted to. The turnovers hurt… I take all the blame for that.

‘Those turnovers swing the moment of the game and they capitalised on them. They scored on one and got a touchdown immediately after another. That’s 14 points I gave them.

‘It’s hard to come back from that in the Super Bowl. I have to learn from that and try to be better the next opportunity that I hopefully get.

‘I didn’t play to my standard and I have to be better next time.’

Mahomes was upstaged by his opposite number Jalen Hurts, with the Eagles quarterback producing an MVP display to claim his first Super Bowl.

‘I’ve been able to use every experience and learn from it, the good and the bad, using it as fuel. I couldn’t do any of this without the guys around me,’ Hurts told Fox at full-time.

‘Defence wins championships. We saw the difference they made in the game today.

‘I’m still processing this. I can’t wait to enjoy this with my family.’

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