Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s contract expired at the end of the 2025 season, which put retirement squarely on the table for the 36-year-old. Although he was not prepared to make a decision on his playing future in the immediate aftermath of the campaign, he did say he would make up his mind before the start of the new league year in March. As of now, signs are pointing to a return to the field in 2026.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required), a 14th season for Kelce “is looking more real than ever,” and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says Kelce and the team have been in touch about a continuation of his on-field career. Rapoport adds, to no surprise, that KC wants the future Hall of Famer back.
To that end, the two sides plan to reconvene after Super Bowl LX to finalize a mutually-workable plan. It is unclear exactly when Kelce will formally announce his decision, but it would be fair to expect a new contract to be hammered out between a player and a team that have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship.
The return of longtime offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to the Chiefs’ staff in his familiar OC role may have made Kelce more inclined to come back. His comments on the matter suggested as much.
“I can’t wait to see him back in the building, man,” Kelce said. “He’s one of my favorite coaches of all time, one of my favorite people of all time. I’ve had so many unbelievable growing moments under him as a player, as a person, and I just love the guy.”
The Chiefs posted a 6-11 record in 2025, but Kelce himself enjoyed another strong season, recording 76 catches for 851 yards and five scores. After posting a career-low 8.5-yards-per-reception rate in 2024, Kelce was back to double-digits last year with an 11.2 mark.
Speculatively, it could be that Kelce does not want to end his playing days following a season in which the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. Even so, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests money could be a complicating factor.
As of the time of this writing, Kansas City is projected to be roughly $55MM over the salary cap, which puts the team in the worst financial situation in the league. It is unclear how much the Chiefs are willing to pay Kelce, but it would be surprising for him to earn over $17MM per year on his next contract, as he was on his most recent deal.
Of course, there are plenty of machinations that will allow KC to become cap-compliant and to keep the players it prioritizes. While Rapoport acknowledges the team’s current cap status, he does not believe it will create a real hurdle to a Kelce re-up.
As a chiefs fan it sucks to say this but please don’t play next season
You’re not a Chiefs fan. He is coming off of a Pro Bowl season where he led the team in receiving yards. The WR room the Chiefs have is OVERRATED until they can prove otherwise. This team other holes to fill and could use him.
Lol .. he was VOTED in. Not by merit.
As a REAL Life-Long Chiefs fan not one of the newer ones that showed up recently like yourself. We NEED him to come back as he’s not only our best option. He was 4th in the league in Receiving Yards & 6th in catches for All TE’s.
Addicted to hype and the attention. Literally less than a shadow of himself. 36 is literally a baby there’s lots of life to do without football.
Chill with the literally dude
I don’t think you know what the word “literally” means. Are you suggesting Kelce is still wearing diapers?
Going back to an old OC & keeping an old TE? Times change in the league; Chiefs need to move on.
While I agree in this specific instance, the argument is undercut by the fact that the Chiefs did not play in the AFC Championship game for the first time since the 2018 season.
Old TE but he led the team in receiving and without a doubt a top 5 TE last season.
800 yards. In an 17 game season. Lol. Your “leader”
If he wasn’t dating a gigantic distraction, talking about retiring for years already, or played for a different team, then people wouldn’t want him to go away as bad I don’t think. He’s an all time great TE and still produced good numbers last year. I’d love to have those numbers from him again next year if he comes back.
Agreed. Heck of an athlete. Age is so overrated until not 😉
This. Well said.
He’s just a giant douche.
A giant douche and a Walter Payton man of the year nominee? Interesting.
Mr Swift is an attention wh**e. The Chiefs will stink next year again. They’ve got 36 players signed for next year ( they need 53+ practice squad) and are 40 million over the salary cap. Travis should walk away while he can still walk. But he won’t because he’s so addicted to the cheering and everyone patting him on the back, and the fact that all the guys envy him for bagging Taylor Swift. (A solid 4.5 out of 10. 3 if she’s not wearing makeup) With all the problems the team has they don’t need a 37 year old catching a pass for 5 yards every 3rd game. They could get 3-4 rookies for what they’re paying Trayler. ( Notice how I blended Travis and Taylor). Retire and do a podcast with your brother, sell whiskey, become a Swiftie back up dancer, but whatever you do PLEASE RETIRE!!
How to say you’re upset with your own life without saying you’re upset with your own life haha. Take some deep breathes buddy. You’ll be ok
You have to admit his comments are pretty entertaining and now he’s got me wondering how Roger Goodell grades out when not wearing make up 🙂
CEL- Thanks the deflection. May be time to get off here for a while. You have a nice Super Bowl Sunday. Was hoping for a Bears- Broncos showdown, but no such luck
Gramuna 12- Yeah, I guess I am upset with my life. It’s cold outside, there’s a crappy Super Bowl tonight and my wheelchair battery needs a charge. But it’s okay, my caregiver is bringing wings and is forcing me to watch said Super Bowl. You have a nice day there, and your concern for MY life is noted. I know you’re trying to be funny, but from where I’m sitting, it’s not. 😔
kelce has to focus on whats important
no time left to play football
gotta prepare for that big wedding
i hear people magazine is paying top $ for exclusive pics of him and the bride
he doesnt need an nfl salary anymore anyway
he got sugar mama to take care of him for life now
LOL well said. That was hilarious 😂
And…incredibly and absolutely true….
Shame when one doesn’t know when to walk away.
As a Chiefs fan, I just couldn’t care less about anything but this:
There’s absolutely no chance whoever replaces him puts up 76/851/5 in a year where literally everything went wrong like he did last year. I don’t care how old he is, or who he dates, or what he says on a podcast; a better TE isn’t walking through that door, and him coming back checks a box that allows the front office to focus on other things. It doesn’t matter that he’s lost a step or three – as he sits right now, he’s still an excellent player who can help the team rebound next season.
he still finished fourth overall in yards .. how many other teams would love that production on a “down” year out of their TE ? unless he completely falls off a cliff .. he should keep doing what he’s doing
While retirement sounds like the wise choice given the major issues K.C has with their roster, salary cap, and Mahomes likely forthcoming down year as he recovers, Trav has earned the right to go out on his own terms.
Being 55+ million over the cap, is he going to play for peanuts? They can’t really take on big salaries this season. They have to go cheap, not go big.