Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is in the final year of his contract, and many speculate the 2025 season will be his last. Now 36-years-old, Kelce understands he will have a decision to make in the near future, but he won’t keep his franchise guessing whether he plans to retire, or continue playing in 2026.
“I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity, whether I come back or not — or whether they want me back or not,” Kelce said, via ESPN. “I’d like to make that decision before they’ve got to get draft picks and free agency opens to fill the roster appropriately.
“All that will be at the end of the season. I won’t be thinking about it until then.”
While he’s in the midst of his 13th NFL season, Kelce is still productive. Through 10 games played, he leads the Chiefs with 50 catches for 631 yards and four touchdowns. Regarded as one of the best tight ends in NFL history, Kelce currently ranks third on the all-time receiving list at his position with 12,782 yards, trailing only Jason Witten (13,046 yards) and Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez (15,127). However, Kelce is Kansas City’s all-time leader in receptions (1,054), receiving yards and touchdowns (81).
A three-time Super Bowl champion, Kelce has established himself as the best postseason tight end in NFL history. He is the NFL’s all-time postseason leader in receptions (178), and just the third player to lead three Super Bowl champions in receiving yards, joining Hall of Fame wide receivers Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin. Kelce and Patrick Mahomes have connected for 18 touchdowns in the playoffs, which are the most scores by a duo in NFL postseason history — three more than Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.
Prior to Super Bowl LIX eight months ago, it was reported that Kelce’s decision to retire or play in 2025 could hinge on the outcome of their showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles, despite him telling reporters on Super Bowl Opening Night that he hoped to be playing football for years to come. The Chiefs were blown out by Jalen Hurts and Co. 40-22.
Less than a month after the Super Bowl LIX loss, Kelce confirmed he was returning for his 13th season. He even said on his “New Heights” podcast that it was the Super Bowl loss that motivated him to keep playing.
“It was probably the biggest factor,” Kelce said of his decision to return, via NFL.com. “I mean, it’s a pretty cool way to go out, but I just think I would still have this love for the game. … I think I would have thought about it more if we would’ve won.”
While the Chiefs sit at 5-5 entering Week 12, they still have Super Bowl aspirations. Kelce is focused on winning football games right now, instead of his future or a farewell tour.
“I think the biggest thing is that I f—–g love playing the game of football,” Kelce said this offseason. “I love playing. I still feel like I can play it at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don’t think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them, especially if you look at my track record and how I’ve been in years past. I want to give it a good run. I got a bad taste in my mouth in how I ended last year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was to the people around me.
“I love so many people in Kansas City, both in that facility, in the community, and it’s home for me now. I don’t want to leave that life yet. I put in a lot of hard work and I put in a lot of focus into being the best that I can for K.C. Last year it didn’t end well for us. I just feel like there’s a responsibility in me to play out the contract that I initially signed, to give Kansas City and the Chiefs organization everything that I’ve got, and that’s what I’m going to do, man.”
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