Travis Kelce‘s future was a talking point leading up to Super Bowl LIX, and that remained the case after the game. It was learned during last week’s Combine, however, that the future Hall of Famer will remain with the Chiefs for at least one more season.

“I love playing,” Kelce said during an episode of his New Heights podcast (via NFL.com). “I still feel like I can play [football] 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 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 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.”

One year remains on Kelce’s contract, and in the absence of an extension being worked out he will no doubt continue to face questions about his playing future. The 35-year-old remained a focal point of the Chiefs’ passing attack in 2024, drawing 133 targets in 16 games. Kelce saw his yards per reception average drop to 8.5, however, by far the lowest mark of his career (aside from his one-game rookie campaign).

Kansas City will likely look to make at least one notable receiver addition to complement Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy this offseason, something which could lead to a decrease in Kelce’s role on offense. The 10-time Pro Bowler is nevertheless set to remain atop a tight end depth chart which also features Noah Gray, who inked a three-year extension this past September. Kelce has already won three Super Bowls, but to no surprise he noted the manner in which the Chiefs lost to the Eagles in this year’s title contest played a role in his decision to come back.

The 2010s All-Decade Team member already has one of the most decorated resumes at the tight end position, and Kelce will continue to add to it in 2025. As the Chiefs aim for another Super Bowl berth, one of the most impactful players in franchise history will look to return to his previous form on at least a short-term basis.

Travis Kelce has yet to make a firm declaration about his playing future. As the Chiefs await word on that front, it is clear they anticipate having him in the fold next year.

To no surprise, both head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach were asked on Tuesday about Kelce’s status. Neither confirmed the future Hall of Famer will play in 2025, but that is the team’s expectation at this point. While Kansas City was recently connected to setting a deadline for a decision (March 14, early in the start of the new league year) Veach’s comments point to Kelce having all the time needed to make a commitment one way or the other after recent conversations with the team.

“He has one more year under contract and still think he has that fire and desire to play,” Veach said of the 35-year-old (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk). “As far as I’m concerned, there is no deadline. I think we left it at he’d be back and we’re excited to get him back and get him going.”

Kelce’s 823 yards in 2024 marked his lowest total since his rookie year, and his yards-per-reception average (8.5) continued his notable decline in efficiency. Still, the four-time All-Pro has proven to be a reliable target throughout the Chiefs’ run of success and he would be counted on to remain atop the depth chart in the event he were to suit up for a 13th campaign. Kelce is due $17.25MM in 2025 with a scheduled cap hit of $19.8MM.

Kansas City could look to lower the latter figure with a restructure adding further void years onto the 10-time Pro Bowler’s pact. A call on that front will of course not be needed until a final decision is made on Kelce’s part. No timeline is in place for a 2025 commitment to be announced at this point, but how Kelce decides to proceed will be critical as the Chiefs aim to make another Super Bowl run. Optimism is obviously high in the organization that he will remain available for at least one more campaign.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce isn’t sure if he is going to return to the NFL for his 13th season in 2025. After conflicting reports emerged about the all-time tight end great’s status before Super Bowl LIX, he has since addressed the prospect of a potential retirement.

“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year. Right now, I’m just kicking everything down the road.” said Kelce on his New Heights podcast after the Super Bowl (via Around The NFL’s Nick Shook).

Kelce is entering the final season of his contract with the Chiefs and will count for $19.8MM against the salary cap. Most of that comes from a $11.5MM roster bonus due on March 15, per OverTheCap, setting up a potential deadline for his decision. Kelce, however, doesn’t seem to be in a rush.

“I think I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” continued the 35-year-old tight end. “I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, it’s going to be something that it’s a wholehearted decision.” 

Kelce mentioned the “wear and tear” on his body over the last 12 years as a key consideration as he mulls his future. The 2013 third-round pick has proven to be a durable player throughout his career, appearing in at least 15 games for the last 11 seasons. His only major absence was due to knee surgery as a rookie; since then, Kelce has consistently played through minor injuries and ranks 26th among all active players in career starts.

The 10-time Pro Bowler also leads active players with 25 career playoff starts, something he alluded to on the podcast.

“I’ve been fortunate over the past five, six years, I’ve played more football than anybody,” said Kelce. “It’s because the people that are in that building and the fact that we keep going to these AFC championships, these Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league.”

If Kelce elects to return, Kansas City may want to sign him to an extension to lower his 2025 cap hit. Such a deal would not signal that Kelce is committed to playing beyond 2025; it would simply be a way for the Chiefs to push more of his cap burden into the future.

FEBRUARY 8: In spite of Kelce’s remarks from earlier this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports his situation is still uncertain. The four-time All-Pro is expected to take time this offseason to contemplate his future, with Rapoport adding the outcome of tomorrow’s Super Bowl may play a role in Kelce’s decision.

A fourth Super Bowl ring would leave him with even less to accomplish in the NFL for 2025 and beyond, but Kansas City’s offense would of course have a major vacancy to fill in the event of a retirement call. Kelce’s commitment one way or the other should be known before free agency begins in mid-March, per Rapoport.

FEBRUARY 4: Rocketing into a position as one of the best-known American athletes over the past two years, Travis Kelce has used this Chiefs dynasty period to cement himself as one of the all-time tight end greats. While this is obviously an easier NFL period to accumulate receiving yards compared to past eras, the Kansas City tight end stands on his own tier in terms of 1,000-yard seasons at his position.

This season brought a second straight sub-1,000-yard showing for Kelce, who has shown decline signs. Kelce earned his 10th Pro Bowl nod but averaged a career-low (by a significant margin) 8.5 yards per catch this season. The 12th-year veteran still led the Chiefs in receiving yardage (823), but he is not the dominant force that powered the Chiefs to victory in 2022. Kelce, who also stands at or near the top in terms of playoff receiving statistics, is not eyeing retirement on the heels of this step back.

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The Chiefs gave Kelce a pay bump this offseason, adding $4MM in total and providing substantial guarantee protection. After the 2024 raise provided $17MM in guarantees at signing, most of his 2025 money is set to vest on Day 3 of the 2025 league year. Kelce’s $17MM-per-year deal still runs through the 2025 season, as the Chiefs did not add any new years to his contract — one initially agreed to in 2020.

It would stand to reason Kelce would want to keep going, even though he has secured lucrative opportunities off the field — thanks to his New Heights podcast (with recently retired brother Jason) and burgeoning movie career. But Patrick Mahomes‘ longtime security blanket is aiming to play beyond this contract.

“I love doing this; I love coming into work every day. I feel like I still have a lot of good football left in me. We’ll see what happens,” Kelce said, adding he would like to play beyond the 2025 season. “I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing football only lasts for so long. You have to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I’ve been doing that in my offseason. But for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.”

Even if the 35-year-old tight end may be unlikely to add an eighth 1,000-yard receiving season to his resume, no other tight end has more than four. Another season will likely give Kelce a gateway to surpassing Jerry Rice in playoff yardage; the receiver icon is up 2,245-2,039 presently. Kelce’s 20 postseason touchdowns are also second only to Rice’s 22, illustrating how important he has been to the Chiefs establishing themselves as this decade’s premier team.

The Chiefs may lack the style points from their Tyreek Hill years, leading to narrow victory margins and steady scrutiny, but Kelce has been vital for the team as it has crafted this threepeat attempt. His relationship with Taylor Swift has certainly brought the two-time reigning champs considerably more attention, even as their string of near-misses (packed with some officiating drama) this season has turned off plenty of fans. But the Chiefs are unlikely to exit stage left by 2025, as Kelce, Mahomes and Chris Jones join Reid in returning as this dynasty’s pillars. The Chiefs gave Jones (30) a massive raise this past offseason, while Mahomes (29) remains tied to his outlier through-2031 extension.

Even with Kelce no longer at his peak, it would be logical, based on all the value Kelce has brought the Chiefs, the team would be interested in continuing this partnership after 2025. Kelce has taken discounts, joining Mahomes in that regard, to help the Chiefs — all while simultaneously contributing to the wage gap that has formed between tight ends and wideouts — soar to their current perch. As a 13th Kelce season in Kansas City is all but assured, it will be interesting to see how much longer this partnership lasts beyond that point.

The AAV gap between wide receivers and tight ends can partially be traced to the below-market contract Travis Kelce was tied to — and Rob Gronkowski‘s long-running, Patriots-friendly deal before that — but the gulf narrowed ever so slightly thanks to the new deal the Patrick Mahomes right-hand man inked Monday.

While initially labeled an extension, Kelce’s new contract does not contain any additional years. The all-time great remains under contract for two more seasons, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, with $34.25MM in compensation coming his way. This new agreement does bump Kelce past Darren Waller as the NFL’s highest-paid tight end but checks in just north of the current Giant’s AAV ($17MM).

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Kelce, 34, will see $17MM guaranteed at signing and most of his remaining money vest on day 3 of the 2025 league year, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Overall, this will amount to a $4MM pay bump from the Chiefs, who had Kelce on their books at two years and $30.25MM through 2025 previously. This will provide Kelce with a much better guarantee structure, as none of his remaining money — on a four-year, $57.25MM contract in 2020 — was locked in.

Obviously proving worthy of this modest raise, Kelce has been invaluable to the Chiefs’ Mahomes-years surge. One of the three pillars of this Kansas City dynasty — along with Mahomes and Chris Jones — Kelce has now agreed to four contracts with the team. The Chiefs extended the future Hall of Famer early, inking him to a five-year, $46.8MM extension in 2016 — his first year of eligibility — and gave him the new deal around the same time the 49ers paid George Kittle four summers ago.

Wide receiver contracts have soared in the years since, and teams have been reluctant to reward tight ends on deals too far north of Kelce and Kittle’s pacts. T.J. Hockenson‘s Vikings extension came in at $16.5MM just before last season. Despite the salary cap having ballooned by more than $50MM since the Kelce and Kittle extensions came to pass, the Chiefs icon’s AAV checks in nearly $15MM south of A.J. Brown‘s new receiver-market-topping Eagles accord. The WR AAV number is expected to rise again — perhaps by a significant margin — this offseason, with Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb on the extension radar. No tight end appears likely to provide much distance from this Kelce number in the near future.

Kelce is in uncharted territory as far as post-30 production at tight end goes. While former Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez played 17 seasons, he did not eclipse 1,000 yards past age 32 (his final Kansas City season). Kelce surpassed 1,000 at ages 32 and 33. Yes, teams are passing more now — as rule changes regularly help aerial attacks — and the NFL added a game to its schedule, but Kelce holds the top post-merger yardage marks for a tight end’s age-31, age-32, age-33 and age-34 seasons. While some signs of decline showed during a clunky — by Mahomes-era Chiefs standards — offensive season, Kelce produced once again in the playoffs.

Kelce has certainly been vital to the Chiefs’ post-Tyreek Hill plan, as his Q rating — thanks to his podcast and Taylor Swift relationship — has skyrocketed. These guarantees ensure the Chiefs, as they attempt to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls, will keep counting on their top pass catcher into his mid-30s.