Travis Kelce Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
ArticlesNFLBy Robert O'Neill on

Shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs lost Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles, many wondered if tight end Travis Kelce’s playing career had ended.

The 35-year-old tight end struggled to make much of an impact in the blowout loss, hauling in four receptions for 39 yards.

In Kansas City’s AFC Championship victory over Buffalo, he had just two catches for 19 yards. The two performances were his lowest playoff outputs since 2020.

Kelce put the chatter to rest on Thursday, though. ESPN’s Pat McAfee read a text message from the tight end on his show that confirmed that he’d be returning for the 2025 season.

“I’m coming back for sure. Gonna try to get into 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 with how I got the guys ready for battle,” Kelce said in the text message. “I can’t go out like that!!!!,” he added.

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Kelce was named to the 2025 Pro Bowl, the tenth nomination of his career.

However, the tight end’s numbers across the board during the regular season were among his career lows. He had 823 yards, the lowest output of his career. His three touchdown receptions were also a career low.

Kelce’s 97 receptions weren’t a career low, but his 8.5 yards per reception and 6.2 yards per target were the lowest by far.

While Kelce feels he still has something left to prove, it’s hard to gauge how much he has left in the tank. He’s almost certainly a first-ballot hall-of-famer, but he will be 36 years old next season. Additionally, Kelce has multiple Super Bowl victories, is one of the most impactful postseason players in NFL history, and could likely make as much, if not more, money working in television like his brother, Jason.

Either way, Kansas City has Kelce back for at least one more season.

 

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