Star tight end Travis Kelce wants to continue his NFL career after 13 years with the Kansas City Chiefs and could be open to playing for another team, The Athletic reported on Sunday.
Kelce, who will be 37 in October, has been selected to 11 Pro Bowls and is a four-time first-team All-Pro with Kansas City, which drafted him in the third round in 2013.
He has been weighing whether to return for this 14th season in the league and has debated retirement for the past two offseasons. One new layer this offseason is Kelce is set to become an unrestricted free agent after finishing his two-year, $34.25 million extension this past season.
The Athletic reported that Kelce’s representatives are expected to talk with multiple teams.
Kansas City, while financially strapped by salary-cap issues, has been diplomatic in a wait-and-see approach with Kelce regarding retirement or another season.
“We’ve kind of prepared for either scenario,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 24. “We’re trying to position ourselves that either way, we have a plan moving forward.”
Veach said he would be meeting with Kelce’s representatives following the combine and “you need some sort of timeline and deadline,” but called conversations with his camp “positive.”
Head coach Andy Reid said he routinely is in touch with Kelce, who is coming off a relatively down year in a Hall of Fame career.
He had 851 yards and five touchdowns last season, but 76 receptions was Kelce’s lowest total since he had 72 in 2015. No. 2 tight end Noah Gray also is an unrestricted free agent.
“Travis is the best, he’s an icon and hopefully he comes back,” Veach said in the February interview. “We’ll just kind of let that process play out. It’s not your typical 27-year-old first-time-in-free agency.
“Travis has done everything. He’s accomplished everything. He’s about to get married, got a lot going on. We’re just going to continue to have positive dialogue and see where this thing ends.”
Prior to the 2025 season, Kelce admitted that he contemplated retirement. He also said his life has changed in some ways since he began dating the biggest pop star on the planet in Taylor Swift, to whom he is engaged.
Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion, is the Chiefs’ all-time leader in receptions (1,080), receiving yards (13,002) and touchdown receptions (82).
–Field Level Media
