Travis Kelce may have to follow Patrick Mahomes’ lead to play on in Kansas City following Andy Reid update

Andy Reid would like Travis Kelce back.

Speculation continues to grow around whether the Kansas City Chiefs stalwart tight end will call time on his career after 13 seasons playing in the NFL.

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Having put together a career worthy of being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in which he has amassed over 15,000 receiving yards and 102 touchdowns (including the postseason), Kelce could be forgiven if he wanted to hang up his cleats for good.

A three-time Super Bowl champion he has established himself as one of the all-time greats at his position, in fact there isn’t too much else for Kelce to chase goal-wise.

But after a 2025 campaign in which Kansas City failed to make the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid era, the debate around his future is at fever pitch.

While Kelce had a down year in terms of his numbers, he still lead the teams in receptions and yards, so it’s no surprise to hear the Chiefs head coach hoping it is not the end of the road for his long-time star.

The 36-year-old is currently out of contract and has been playing golf among other things in his down time.

But the Chiefs have made it clear that they would welcome his return – the question is whether Kelce wants to continue. “There is communication,” Reid said of talks with Kelce, via ESPN.

“That’s the main thing.

“I’ve said this before: As long as there’s communication, I’m good. That means people want to move forward. I think that’s where Travis is.”

“I’m not trying to put words in his mouth at all, and I try to give him some space here.

“He’s been doing this a long time, and he can sort all that out as he goes forward. But we’re proceeding with that.”

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The Chiefs did wind up re-signing practice squad tight end Tre Watson to a reserve/future contract in January, as they begin early preparations for life after Kelce.

Mahomes dedicated to his rehab

Kelce racked up 76 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns in a season that also saw Chiefs franchise quarterback Mahomes suffered a gruesome ACL and LCL on the same day the team’s postseason hopes ended.

Amid the ongoing saga of whether Kelce will or won’t return, Mahomes has made it his mission to try and be available for the start of the 2026 campaign.

Reid has since spoken very candidly of his QB’s progress, with the 30-year-old having been working closely along Chiefs athletic trainer Julie Frymyer.

“He’s around here all the time,” Reid said about Mahomes. “He spends a ton of time here, seven hours a day.

“He’s in there cranking away and making progress every day. It’s great to see. Julie grinds on him and makes sure he stays on task and challenges him.

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“He keeps showing up. That’s about half the battle on these things when you have these injuries.

“It’s not going to be a pleasant thing. Every day, you’ve got to fight through it and you’ve got to attack the challenge of the workout and rehab. He’s doing a great job with that.”

Not only is Mahomes setting the agenda as far as his rehab is concerned, but his recently restructured contract has given the Chiefs front office some room to breath.

The team were more than $50million over the cap, but Mahomes flexibility has freed up $43million – there is still work to do, and any Kelce contract will have to factor into that.

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The expectation is that it will be a one-year deal for Kelce, so they’ll be little room for maneuver and he may have to play on for a drop in salary for one last dance with Mahomes.

An additional incentive, per se, is that should he return, Kelce would be reunited with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy who he served under from 2018-22 after returning to the team this offseason.

However, if Kelce does ultimately decide to close the chapter on his NFL career, there is always a career in TV waiting for him – and that’s likely to ensure any salary drop is covered.

The legendary tight end is not short of offers on film and TV career, while his lucrative podcast with brother Jason is entering the final year of a huge $100m deal with Amazon.

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