Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will return for another NFL season, ending months of speculation about his potential retirement. The 35-year-old confirmed his decision in a text message to ESPN's Pat McAfee, who read it on air during The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday.
"I'm coming back, for sure," Kelce wrote, according to McAfee. "Gonna try and get to the best shape I've been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can't go out like that!!!!"
Kelce's decision follows the Chiefs' 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on February 9, which dashed the team's hopes for a historic three-peat. In that game, Kelce recorded just four receptions for 39 yards, a performance that left him frustrated. "Just wasn't our day," he said on a previous episode of his New Heights podcast. "Couldn't find a lick of momentum. I'm kicking myself for some of the tiny, tiny decisions I made on the field."
The star tight end had been contemplating his future following an exhausting season. "The fact that we keep going to these AFC Championships and these Super Bowls, that means I'm playing an extra three [more] games than everybody else in the entire league,'' Kelce said earlier this year. "That's a lot of wear and tear on your body, and it's a lot of time spent in the building, focusing on your craft."
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach had previously hinted at Kelce's return, saying at the NFL Scouting Combine, "How we left it at the end of the season is that he was fired up. He has one more year under contract. Still think he has that fire and desire to play." Kelce is set to receive an $11.5 million roster bonus if he remains with the team by March 15.
Patrick Mahomes, Kelce's longtime quarterback, had expressed uncertainty about his return but made it clear he supported his decision. "He's given so much to this team and to the NFL," Mahomes said. "And he's been such a joy, not only for me to work with, but for people to watch."
Kelce's return ensures that one of the NFL's most productive tight ends will remain a key piece of the Chiefs' offense. A 10-time Pro Bowler, he holds the single-season receiving record for a tight end with 1,416 yards in 2020 and has recorded seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, the most ever for his position.
His comeback also coincides with his continued rise in mainstream popularity, fueled by his relationship with Taylor Swift. The pop superstar attended multiple Chiefs games this season, including the Super Bowl in New Orleans. The couple recently returned from a private getaway after Swift wrapped up her Eras Tour.
Kelce's brother, recently retired Eagles center Jason Kelce, previously suggested that his younger sibling had likely already made up his mind about playing another season. "I think Travis, I think he probably, in his heart, already knows what he wants to do. That's the reality of it," Jason said on The Steam Room podcast last week.
