It is official, he is back.
Travis Kelce will return to the NFL for his 13th season in 2025. The Kansas City Chiefs’ future first ballot Hall of Fame tight end recently confirmed his plans for next season in a text message with former NFL kicker and current podcast/TV show host Pat McAfee.
McAfee read Kelce’s message on live TV from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana Thursday. Based on the text, the Chiefs’ 40-22 Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9, has played a large role in Kelce’s decision to come back to the grid iron and continue playing.
“My dog!!! I’m coming back for sure. Gonna try and 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 how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”
Embed from Getty ImagesKelce’s decision to continue playing is not surprising to anyone that knows his competitive nature and how hot his fire burns. Chiefs’ general manager Brett Vecch said Tuesday that he expects his star tight end to return for the 2025 season. Chiefs coach Andy Reid shared what he told Kelce shortly after the 2024 season concluded.
“[I told him] to get out of town and relax,” Reid said. “That’s kind of my motto for these guys. They played a lot of games for a consistent amount of seasons. At the end of the thing, you’ve exhausted yourself mentally and physically, step back and take care of that and then we’ll talk. For right now, I think that’s what he’s doing.”
Kelce late last season became only the 15th NFL player to catch 1,000 career passes and only the third tight end. In addition to being third all-time among players at his position with 1,004 regular season receptions, he is also third in yards at 12,151.
After taking some time away to decompress, Kelce has apparently made up his mind. Instead of going out with a sour taste in his mouth and a loss in Super Bowl LIX, the three-time Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowler is coming back with the hope and dream of capping his career on a better note.
