Travis Kelce Considers His NFL Future
Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce has left open the possibility of returning to the NFL next season, ruling out that this could be the last of his outstanding career. Kelce, with 13 years of experience in the league, understands the difficulty of retirement, as he could see with his brother Jason, former center for the Philadelphia Eagles, who retired after the 2023 season. Although he is in the last year of his contract, Kelce revealed that he will make a decision about his continuity with the Chiefs in early March, before the NFL free agency begins.Since June, Kelce, 36, had only spoken about his future in relation to the current season. If Kelce decides to play a fourteenth season, he emphasized that he does not want fans, teams, or players to offer him a “farewell tour”. One of the key reasons Kelce could re-sign with the Chiefs is that he has proven to be one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL. Kelce is on track for his eighth season with 1,000 receiving yards, the first since 2022. Despite the Chiefs having a full group of receivers, Kelce leads the team in targets (66), receptions (50), yards (631), touchdowns (4), and first downs per reception (33). Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals (718) is the only tight end with more yards than Kelce. Kelce praised the Chiefs’ receivers for their contribution to their success.“I want to give the Chiefs a fair chance, whether I’m back or not, or whether they want me back or not. I’d like to make that decision before they have to pick draft players and free agency opens up to fill the roster properly,” Kelce commented.
Travis Kelce
During the offseason, Kelce trained in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to regain some of the speed, agility, and quickness he felt he had lost in the last two seasons. The notable improvement in his athleticism has allowed him to recover a quality that made him one of the best receivers in the league: he has punished rival defenses with 339 yards after the reception, the third-highest amount among tight ends.“I think what they’re seeing is that I’m a product of my environment at this point. It’s all based on how the offensive line does and how the guys around us do and obviously the chemistry that Patrick Mahomes and I have been able to build up over the years,” Kelce said.
Travis Kelce
Kelce stated that the preseason work “definitely helped me, at least, get a head start on the wear and tear” of the season. In last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos, he broke the Chiefs’ record for most career total touchdowns.“He’s done an incredible job,” said coach Andy Reid. “He worked like crazy in the offseason to get in top shape, which you have to do when you start getting to an advanced age. You have to work a little harder, and he did that. It’s paying off.”
Andy Reid
Although the Chiefs are averaging more points this year (25.4) than last year (22.6), they arrive at Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts with a 5-5 record. The Chiefs’ five losses have been by seven points or less.
Kelce is confident that the Chiefs, who are out of the AFC playoff race, can improve their performance down the stretch, especially in the final quarter of the games, to secure a playoff spot.“I just think the chemistry, how close we are and how much we’re willing to fight for each other, it’s not a matter of effort. It’s just execution. We’re here every day striving to the fullest to fix that. You feel it from the coaches. They’re tweaking things a little bit to get us focused on those details so we can play fast and with a purpose,” Kelce concluded.
Travis Kelce
