The pendulum swings back and forth these days when it comes to Travis Kelce's predicted future in the National Football League. One minute, the rumors seem to indicate that he'll walk away from the game after 12 dominant seasons in the league, but then it feels like the latest reports point toward a return to the field in 2025.
The latest news from the 2025 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke to reporters, points toward Kelce's return for at least one more run with the team that drafted him.
"How we left it at the end of the season is that he was fired up," said Veach. "He has one more year on his contract and we still think he has that fire and desire to play. As far as I'm concerned, there is no deadline. I think we left it as he’d be back and we’re excited to get him back and get him going."
Veach sounded quite positive about Kelce's potential return in 2025.
The expectation that Kelce will return is a significant one for several reasons. Not only is Kelce's leadership and popularity essential to the club in myriad ways, but he's a proven reliable target for Patrick Mahomes. His potential absence would create a void and would force the offense to shift significantly going forward. That day will eventually come but another season would help the Chiefs ease that transition along.
Veach's allusion to a deadline is also important to note because the previously reported rumor was that Kelce was given a month to make up his mind following season's end. Nate Taylor of The Athletic reported that the Chiefs gave him a date of "around March 14" to make up his mind, which comes before Kelce is due a sizable roster bonus.
If no deadline exists, it's possible that Kelce's indecision could keep the Chiefs from fully being able to plan one way or another as free agency approaches. Fortunately the team already has invested in a long-term contract extension with Noah Gray and has last season's fourth round pick Jared Wiley returning from injury in 2025 as well.
Kelce had 97 catches for 823 yards and 3 touchdowns last season for the Chiefs.
manual