Patrick Mahomes believes Travis Kelce ‘knows he still has a lot of football left’ as rumors swirl about the Kansas City Chiefs star’s future in the NFL.

Reports emerged on Saturday that Kelce is genuinely considering walking away and some inside the Chiefs organization think the 35-year-old could quit this offseason.

Kelce appeared to be holding back tears as he returned to the locker room after the humiliating 40-22 Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, leading some to suggest he’d played his final game.

The tight end, whose girlfriend Taylor Swift got booed by the crowd and trolled by Donald Trump, produced a disappointing performance in New Orleans as the Chiefs got blown away.

Mahomes remained coy on his best friend’s future afterwards though, insisting Kelce will take time with his family before coming to a decision.

He said: ‘I’ll let Travis make that decision on his own, man.

Patrick Mahomes says best friend Travis Kelce 'knows he still has a lot of football left in him'
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Patrick Mahomes says best friend Travis Kelce ‘knows he still has a lot of football left in him’

‘He’s given so much to this team and to the NFL and been such a joy, not only for me to work with but for people to watch. He knows he still has a lot of football left in him.

‘You can see it. He’s done enough to be a gold jacket guy and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’ll get to spend some time with his family and make that decision on his own.’

Sunday night could not have been further from last year’s jubilant scenes with Swift, as America’s most popular couple kissed on the field after a night of glory in Las Vegas.

This time around, as Kelce went missing on the field, Swift was booed mercilessly by a stadium packed with Eagles fans as she appeared on the jumbotron.

She didn’t look impressed, and President Trump didn’t waste the opportunity to taunt his nemesis on Truth Social after making history by becoming the first sitting President to go to a Super Bowl.

‘The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!’ Trump wrote.

Kelce paid tribute to the Eagles, who his brother Jason used to play for, in the locker room afterwards.

‘Hats off to the Eagles, man. We couldn’t get it going offensively,’ Kelce said before making his way up to see Swift in her suite.

‘We just couldn’t find that spark, couldn’t find that momentum.’

Kelce couldn't impose himself on the game as the Eagles defense shut down the Chiefs
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Kelce couldn’t impose himself on the game as the Eagles defense shut down the Chiefs

Kelce said he believed at halftime that the Chiefs could turn the game around.

‘100% believed,’ he said. ‘Never lose doubt. This team is going to fight to the end forever. I think there was a lot of things going wrong.

‘Everything was not really going our way today. You don’t lose like that without everything going bad. We haven’t played that bad all year.’

Kelce is expected to clarify his future by March 12, the start of the NFL’s free agency.