Nothing is official. Things could go either way. But fans looking for any easter eggs, some sort of hidden clue as to whether or not tight end Travis Kelce was going to return for one more season with the Kansas City Chiefs got a nice bit of information with the latest episode release of his podcast, New Heights.
New Heights dropped a new episode with Matt Damon on Wednesday, and the full conversation is a worthy listen. However, for our purposes, some quotes from Kelce near the beginning provided a tell on the part of the veteran tight end—or at least how he appears to be feeling at this stage of the offseason.
Shortly after Week 18, Kelce explained to his brother and co-host, Jason Kelce, that he's ready to be a "regular human" after putting his body through the wringer of a 13th NFL season. After the Chiefs dropped to 6-11 on the year and sent their players home in early January for the first time since 2014, Kelce's second season as a professional, it made sense that Kelce might want to fade into new endeavors away from the field.
Listening to him only days after the close of the regular season, however, and it's clear Kelce is still feeling a real pull toward returning for another run—if his body is up for it.
Travis Kelce’s latest comments hint that the desire to return is still alive, giving the Chiefs reason to believe another season isn’t off the table yet.
“I do enjoy playing football and the physical aspect of it," said Kelce. "I think there’s something about, you know, feeling the wear and tear of the football season, to just f---g, you know, getting ready for a game, knowing that your body’s f---g beat down. I think there’s something to it. It makes you just feel like a mangy animal that just is f---g out here, just finding a way to survive. And I just f---g love that s--t.
"But I think, yeah, just being a regular human for a couple of weeks, maybe a month or so, and trying to figure out what I’m going to do next in terms of my future in football. And I think, you know, I’ve talked to a few people in the facility already, you know, having the exit meetings and everything. And they know where I stand, at least right now. And I think there’s a lot of love for the game that’s still there. And I don’t think I’ll ever lose that. And I don’t know. It’s a tough thing to navigate.
"But at the same time, you know, I think if my body can heal up and rest up and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18, 20, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat. So I think right now it’s just finding that answer and seeing how the body feels after this game and kind of when it all settles down.”
Kelce had another strong season in 2025 and returned slimmed down considerably from previous years after suffering a defeat in Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelce stated that he wasn't interested in playing unless he could do so at a high level again, and he did just that in 2025 with 76 catches for 851 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also eclipsed multiple franchise records and NFL marks in the process, including joining Jerry Rice as the only players with 12 seasons of 800 yards receiving or more.
As a future first-ballot Hall of Fame candidate, Kelce has earned the right to make up his mind about next season whenever he wants, but of course, the Chiefs would like to know sooner rather than later for the sake of roster planning. Free agency is still two months away, so Kelce still has time to let the dust settle on a frustrating year. However, it seems as if the Chiefs might not have to replace a legend in 2026 after all, at least if Kelce thinks he's up for the physical toll of it all.