It looked like Travis Kelsey slowed down. Then Kansas City Chiefs The star tight end rediscovered some speed in a transformative offseason that allowed him to turn back the clock at age 36 in 2025.
Kelce is poised for his first 1,000-yard receiving season since 2022, and the question is whether this year will be the last of his 13-year career.
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The three-time Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowler told reporters Friday he won't do it until after the season. But he wants to make a decision before the start of the new league year.
He explained the preference by citing his experience watching his brother, one-time Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowl center Jason Kelce, retire from the Philadelphia Eagles last March.
“I think seeing my brother go through this and seeing how the league operates, the season will kind of resume in April,” Travis Kelce said.
“I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity whether I come back or not and whether they want me back or not, it's one of those things where I'd like to make that decision before they get draft picks and free agency opens up so it gives them the opportunity to go out and fill out the roster accordingly.”
“All this will happen at the end of the season. Until then I won’t think about it.”
Right now the Chiefs are 5-5 and in contention for the playoffs. They haven't missed the postseason since 2014, Kelce's second year with the team after Kansas City took him in the third round of the 2013 draft.
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All five of the Chiefs' losses this season have come in one-score games, perhaps a slight drop in the average after they won 15 regular-season games in 2024 by just plus 59 points.
However, they have had more success offensively than they did a year ago, and Kelce's return is part of that resurgence.
He's second among all NFL tight ends this season with 631 receiving yards. His 50 receptions are at least 12 more than any other Kansas City player in the 2025 campaign.
“He's done a great job,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. via ESPN. “He worked like crazy in the off-season to get himself into great shape, which is what you need to do when you start to get older. You have to work a little harder and he did that.”
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“It's paying off for him.”
Kelce has a lot to look forward to after his playing days are over. He has a mega-popular podcast that he co-hosts with his brother Jason. And of course he's engaged to pop star Taylor Swift.
For now, he's still an integral part of the Chiefs' offense, which is led by one of the best quarterbacks in the game, Patrick Mahomes.
When Kelsey eventually decides to leave, he's not looking for a farewell tour.
“That’s not me,” Kelce said Friday. “I like to take it day by day, year by year and just evaluate it that way.”
