Former Chiefs TE Jason Dunn weighs in on challenges Travis Kelce will face in his age 35 season

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce knows that he's in the twilight of his NFL career. He's stamped his mark on the league as one of the most dominant players to ever play the position. His production has proven to be an aberration, and as he enters his 12th NFL season, he'll undoubtedly face some challenges.

I recently sat down with former Chiefs TE Jason Dunn, who played 12 seasons in the NFL before retiring in the 2008 NFL season. Dunn turned 35 years old in the year he retired, the same age Kelce will be come October of the 2024 NFL season. We discussed some of those challenges that Kelce might face as his team seeks a third consecutive Super Bowl title.

"In this day and age, the monotony of football, the rigmarole of every single day coming in and doing the whole practice thing and whatnot has probably just worn down on him," Dunn said. "He loves performing. He's a performer. He's an entertainer. That's what Travis (Kelce) loves to do. He loves being around his guys just like I loved being around my guys. At this state in his career, you don't really have anything else to prove. It's just him getting numbers trying to catch Tony (Gonzalez) and a lot of the numbers game. But Travis has, without a doubt, made his mark on the NFL day as one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game. No matter what happens, he will always go down as that."

Kelce seemingly doesn't have a problem with all of the practice and offseason workouts, showing up for voluntary OTAs with the same youthful energy he had 12 seasons ago . He also hasn't made it much of a point to say he's chasing after records held by Tony Gonzalez, even though he already surpassed him for the most receiving yards in franchise history .

Physical challenges await the future Hall of Famer in 2024

If not the wear of NFL practices and the pursuit of individual and team goals, what will be challenging for Kelce in 2024? The physical toll that playing in the NFL for over a decade takes is certainly something that will need to be managed and monitored. He might not be afraid of the wear and tear , but it's a real thing.

"Without a doubt it's gonna be tough on him because physically you're just not the same guy when you first came in," Dunn explained. "I don't care how great you are  taking care of your body. You're gonna have some little bumps, you're gonna have some bruises, nagging injuries that stay with you. You always in the back of your head question, 'What am I still doing this thing for?'"

For Dunn, that question rang loud during after his final NFL season in 2007. A nagging back injury that he suffered during the 2006 season caused many sleepless nights. Despite receiving offers from other NFL teams to continue his playing career, he chose retirement after 12 seasons in the league and got an opportunity to go home and "play full-time dad."

Kelce, obviously, doesn't have any children, but he does have a lot of things outside of football tugging at him — whether that's his high-profile relationship, his massively successful podcast, or Hollywood calling his name. For now, Kelce maintains that he's playing football until the wheels fall off. Let's not forget that at the onset of last season, the wheels almost fell off when Kelce suffered a knee injury that the team initially feared the worst about .

"For him, at this moment in time, it's all about just staying healthy," Dunn continued. "It's maintaining his body, keeping his mind in it is a lot of it. We have young guys coming in year and year out, to give them the knowledge is another thing, too. I'm sure Kelce loves that part of it. Just having to come in and talk to these guys, kind of getting them ready and teaching them how to be a professional. He engages with the young guys to teach them what it takes to be a Kansas City Chief."

The staying healthy part of it takes a whole lot of maintenance and extra time, which can certainly wear on you in its own right.

Kelce has proven to be the perfect mentor for young players, and not just at the tight end position either . He'll have a new role in mentoring rookie tight end Jared Wiley this season, which should certainly be something that gets him fired up to come to work every day.

Kelce signed a new two-year deal worth $34.25 million this past offseason which ties him to the Chiefs through the 2025 NFL season. At some point, time will come calling for the NFL star, but Chiefs Kingdom can only hope that his body and mind can withstand a few more years of the rigor of the NFL.

Related: Another NFL insider suggests Chiefs WR Rashee Rice might not be suspended until 2025