What can Kansas City Chiefs fans expect from Travis Kelce going into 2024?

The man, the myth, the legend. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce returns to the team on a restructured two-year deal, ready to chase a three-peat and (potentially) finish out his career in style.

Or is he? Another year, another "until the wheels fall off" comment by the GOAT means we could be in for more spectacular performances for the long haul. That said, Kelce is approaching his age 35 season, and nothing should be taken for granted.

So what should fans expect from Kelce in 2024? It seems kind of crazy to say that fans can expect more of the same, but that might be the reality. Last season was his worst in years, and he still came painfully shy of another 1,000 yard season.

Is Kelce slowing down? Maybe. But he's still tough as nails and has the best quarterback in the game throwing to him. Even better, the Chiefs have restocked the offense by signing Hollywood Brown and drafting Xavier Worthy.

Assuming Rashee Rice is on the field for any amount of time this season, the offense could be cooking without Travis Kelce. Which is great news. That means that teams won't just be able to double Kelce all the time and force him to work twice as hard.

I do wonder if that means Kelce will finally get more end zone looks and touchdowns. Surprisingly, touchdowns are one of the stats that Kelce lacks in his career. I'd love to see him have one of those Gronk double-digit touchdown seasons to move him up the leaderboard.

The biggest hurdle facing Travis Kelce this season

It goes without saying, but the answer here is age. Not many tight ends have been very successful after their 34th birthday. Despite being relatively injury-free for most of his career, Kelce did miss the first game last season against the Detroit Lions and also part of another game later in the season.

Those injuries came on the heels of his first "until the wheels fall off" comment, so here's to hoping he didn't jinx himself by saying it again this offseason.

Another underrated hurdle that the start tight end might face is competition. The Chiefs did draft a new tight end, Jared Wiley. The rookie has been receiving high praise from Kelce himself. While previous tight ends that the Chiefs have drafted haven't quite lived up to such lofty expectations (in a very cold take, I thought that Noah Gray could be the next great Chiefs tight end), maybe Wiley will.

If that is the case, we could see Kelce taking a step back in the offense—unlikely, but possible.

What I'm most excited to see from Kelce this year

Last year I was able to attend training camp up at St. Joseph, and it just so happened that I was able to snag Travis Kelce's autograph. Talk about cool. This was the training camp after the Chiefs had won the Super Bowl and the same offseason in which Kelce admitted that winning the Super Bowl just makes you want to do it again.

That came in the context of an interview with his brother, Jason Kelce, and it resonated with Jason so much that Jason willed himself back onto the field for one more ill-fated season. Travis on the other hand helped lead his team to another Super Bowl win. If that's how Travis felt after one win, imagine the hunger he's got after back-to-back wins.

That's why I'm most excited to see just how relentless Travis approaches this season, despite his age. We all know he desperately wants the fourth ring and to be the first team to win back-to-back-to-back Super Bowls.

I think we'll get a first glimpse of what that fire looks like come training camp (which I'm hoping to attend again this year). If it's anything like last year, we're in for a wild ride. Hang on Chiefs Kingdom, the GOAT still has some gas in the tank, and he's going to be fighting hard for his right to party.