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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce left the door open to return next season, and not for this year to be the last of his illustrious career.
As a 13-year veteran, Kelce understands how difficult it was for his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason, to retire after the 2023 season. Although he is in the final year of his contract, Travis Kelce shared this Friday that he plans to decide whether to return to the Chiefs in early March, before NFL free agency begins.
“I want to give the Chiefs a good chance whether I come back or not, whether they want me back or not,” Kelce said. “I would like to make that decision before they have to use their draft picks and free agency opens up to properly fill out the roster.
All that will be defined at the end of the season. I won’t think about it until then.”
Since June, Kelce, 36, had only talked about his future until this season. If Kelce returns for his 14th season, he emphasized that he doesn’t want fans, teams or players to put him on a farewell tour.
“That’s not me,” Kelce stated.
One of the main reasons why Kelce could re-sign with the Chiefs in the offseason is because this season he has proven to be one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL.
Kelce is on pace to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the eighth consecutive season, his first since 2022. Although the Chiefs have a full roster of receivers — Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and Tyquan Thornton — Kelce still leads the team in targets (66), receptions (50), yards (631), touchdowns (4) and receiving first downs (33). Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals (718) is the only tight end with more receiving yards than Kelce.
Kelce praised the Chiefs’ receivers for helping him succeed.
“I think what you see is that I’m a product of my environment right now,” Kelce said, smiling. “It all depends on the performance of the offensive line and the teammates around us and obviously the chemistry (that Patrick Mahomes) and I have been able to develop over the years.”
This past offseason, Kelce did what he did when he was younger: He trained in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with Tony Villani to regain some of the speed, agility and quickness he felt he had lost over the past two seasons. The notable improvement in his physical condition has allowed Kelce to regain a quality that made him one of the best receivers in the league: he has punished opposing defenses for 339 yards after the catch, the third most among tight ends.
“He’s done an exceptional job,” said coach Andy Reid. “He worked like crazy during the preseason to stay in top shape, which is essential when you reach a certain age. You had to try a little harder, and he did it. It’s paying off.”
Kelce noted that the work during the preseason “definitely helped me get a little ahead of the wear and tear” of the season. In last week’s loss against the Denver Broncos, he broke the Chiefs’ record for most career total touchdowns.
Although the Chiefs are averaging more points this year (25.4) than last year (22.6), they enter Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts with a 5-5 record. All five of the Chiefs’ losses have been by seven points or less.
Kelce is confident the Chiefs, who are out of AFC playoff contention, can improve their performance down the stretch, especially in the fourth quarter of games, to secure a playoff spot.
“I think the key is the chemistry, how united we are and how hard we are willing to fight for each other; it’s not a matter of effort,” Kelce said. “It’s just a matter of execution. We’re here every day doing our best to fix this. It shows in the coaches. They’re adjusting some details so we can focus on them and play fast and with purpose.”
