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The Kansas City Chiefs had their eyes set on a three-peat, but a 40-22 beatdown at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59 put those plans on ice. The Chiefs now have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, and the status of star tight end Travis Kelce is chief among them.
Kelce will turn 36 years old during the 2025 season and has flirted with the possibility of retirement as his play has declined slightly over the past few seasons. However, he will be returning to the Chiefs and playing in the 2025 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
From The Insiders in Indy: The #Chiefs are getting TE Travis Kelce back for one more season. A big win in KC. pic.twitter.com/elfvwE4IVd
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 25, 2025
“Travis Kelce does in fact plan to be back,” Rapoport said of the Chiefs star. “His contract for a little more than $17 million should stand in place. … He wants to play. He’s ready to play. They believe he has a lot left.”
Kelce had a big playoff game in the Divisional Round to help the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans, but mustered just six catches for 58 yards combined in the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl. During the regular season, he finished with 823 yards and three touchdowns on 97 catches.
Kelce has now had two consecutive seasons with less than 1,000 yards after a seven-year streak of hitting that mark. The Chiefs seem to be saving him for the playoffs to some degree as he ages, but a skill position group that is lacking in talent at the moment could really use a high level of productivity from the future Hall-of-Famer.
The Chiefs’ receiving core will benefit from the health of Rashee Rice in 2025 after he missed almost the entire season in 2024 with a knee injury. Before he went down, Rice looked like the kind of star receiver that could take some of the burden off of Kelce with a ton of targets over the middle.
The Chiefs have plenty of other questions to worry about this offseason, including a talented group of free agents that they must make decisions on. Star right guard Trey Smith could command market-setting money in free agency after becoming one of the best players in the NFL at his position, and Justin Reid and Nick Bolton will both hit the open market after becoming centerpieces of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
Now that Kelce is coming back, general manager Brett Veach and the rest of the Kansas City front office can turn their attention to addressing those needs.
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