There was speculation after the end of a massively disappointing 2025-26 season for the Kansas City Chiefs that superstar tight end Travis Kelce would step away from the game and retire. All of that speculation, however, was coming from outside of the organization, according to Chiefs general manager Brett Veach.
“We played our last game of the season in Vegas last year, and when we got back we have player meetings and exit interviews,” Veach said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
“It was a cool deal where Trav came in and he basically said ‘I’m going to take a few weeks off here, but I’m not going out like this, let’s stay in touch and let’s figure something out. . . .
“When we got back after our last game of the season Travis Kelce told us he wasn’t going out like this..
We knew basically the day after our last game that he was gonna come back..
If this is the last dance hopefully we make it special” ~ Brett Veach #PMSLive https://t.co/hBbKj4aA4M pic.twitter.com/jOe1V6cSn4
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 1, 2026
“We certainly knew ahead of time. While free agency and there was still some questions in the air on whether or not he’d return, we knew basically the day after our last game. He made it known to coach Reid and to me that there was no way he was going out like this.”
Ultimately, Kelce agreed to a one-year $12 million that can reach as high as $15 million with incentives. Now, Kelce, along with his running mate Patrick Mahomes, who is recovering from an ACL injury that ended his season early, is looking to get the Chiefs back to the mountaintop.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.