KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce isn’t ready to close the book on his career just yet and won’t make a final call on returning in 2025 until the current season is over.
The 36-year-old, in the last year of his contract, said Friday he intends to give Kansas City an answer by early March—before free agency and the draft—so the front office can plan accordingly, regardless of whether the team wants him back.
“I want to give the Chiefs the best chance to build the roster the right way, whether that includes me or not,” Kelce said. “That decision is coming at the end of the year. I’m not even thinking about it right now.”
For months, Kelce had framed this season as potentially his last. If he does come back for a 14th year, he made it clear he has zero interest in a league-wide farewell tour.
“That’s not my style,” he said.
One big reason a return feels realistic: he’s still playing at an elite level. Kelce is on track for his eighth 1,000-yard season and leads the Chiefs in targets (66), catches (50), receiving yards (631), touchdowns (4), and first downs (33). Only Arizona’s Trey McBride has more yards among tight ends.
Kelce credits the loaded receiving corps—Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Tyquan Thornton—plus his long-standing connection with Patrick Mahomes and a revamped offseason regimen.
“I’m a product of the guys around me right now,” he said with a grin. “It all starts up front, and the chemistry I’ve built with Pat over the years doesn’t hurt.”
This past offseason he returned to Fort Lauderdale to train with Tony Villani, the same coach he worked with early in his career, specifically to regain lost explosiveness. The results show: his 339 yards after catch rank third among tight ends.
“He put in an insane amount of work to get his body right,” head coach Andy Reid said. “At this stage you have to go the extra mile, and he did. It’s paying dividends.”
The extra work helped Kelce break the franchise record for career touchdowns (84) last week against Denver and, he says, has him better equipped to handle the grind of a 17-game season.
Despite Kansas City scoring more points per game this year (25.4) than last (22.6), the Chiefs sit 5-5 and outside the playoff picture, with every loss coming by seven points or fewer. Kelce remains convinced the issues are fixable.
“It’s not effort—it’s execution,” he said. “We’re in here grinding every day. The coaches are tightening the screws on details so we can play faster and more decisively. You can feel it coming together.”
