Chiefs TE Travis Kelce expected to return in 2025, GM Brett Veach says

The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to have Travis Kelce back for the 2025 season. 

General manager Brett Veach shared that the star tight end was “fired up” about the possibility of playing another season when he spoke with the team following Kansas City’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. 

“He has one more year under contract. I still think he has that fire and desire to play,” Veach told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no deadline [for Kelce to make a decision]. I think we left it as he’d be back and we’re excited to get him back and get him going.”

Kelce has yet to make an official announcement on his plans for the 2025 season. However, he confirmed that he was considering retirement following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss, backpedaling on a statement he made during Super Bowl week when he said he envisioned himself still playing for Kansas City three years from now. 

“I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast earlier in February. “And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back that it’s going to be a wholehearted decision, and I’m not half-assing it, and I’m fully here for them.

“I think I can play. It’s just whether or not I’m motivated, or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person, to take on all that responsibility.”

When it was reported by NFL Media on the eve of the Super Bowl that Kelce could retire this offseason, the report mentioned that the result of the game was likely to play a factor in his decision. The Chiefs were seeking to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls while Kelce was a win away from winning his fourth title, which would’ve put him in a four-way tie for the most titles won by a tight end.

Of course, the Chiefs didn’t come close to beating the Eagles, falling 40-22. Kelce had a quiet performance, recording just four receptions for 39 yards in the loss. 

Overall, the 35-year-old tight end had another productive season for the Chiefs in 2024, but it was arguably the worst year the 12-year pro had since he appeared in one game as a rookie in 2013. He had 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns in 16 regular-season games, his fewest yards and TDs since he was a rookie.

Prior to the Super Bowl, Kelce popped against the Houston Texans, recording seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ divisional-round win. He had a quieter outing in the AFC Championship Game, with just two receptions on four targets for 19 yards. 

Kelce has one year left on a contract he renegotiated in 2024, holding a $19.8 million cap hit for 2025. He doesn’t have any guaranteed money for the 2025 season, but is due an $11.5 million roster bonus on March 15. If Kelce opts to retire before then, the Chiefs can cut him and save $17.25 million against the cap.

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