As he prepares to become a free agent for the first time in his storied career, Travis Kelce does seem likely to return to the NFL in 2026.
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the feeling among several teams around the league is that Kelce is “motivated” to play a 14th season.
Despite the possibility of hitting the market when free agency begins on Monday, Russini added the Kansas City Chiefs are “very much in the mix” to bring back the future Hall-of-Fame tight end.
Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press noted:
Reported this at the combine: Travis Kelce is scheduled to become a free agent next month. A person with knowledge of Kelce’s thinking told The Associated Press the four-time All-Pro tight end will not test the market. If the 36-year-old Kelce returns for a 14th season, it’ll be in Kansas City with coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
There was a feeling after the Chiefs played their final home game of the 2025 season that it might mark the end of Kelce’s career at Arrowhead Stadium.
“You only get a few of those where you just get to stand there and appreciate 60-70,000 Chiefs fans screaming for you,” Kelce told reporters in his postgame press conference afterward. “I always embrace that moment, man. It’s fun. Hopefully I got everybody fired up for it.”
As time has passed since the end of the season, it has felt more likely than not that Kelce was returning. He presumably would want to give the Chiefs advance notice to plan for replacing him at tight end if he intended to retire.
It has been widely assumed that if Kelce returns, it would only to be with the Chiefs. Russini’s report at least suggests a possibility in which he might at least test the free-agent waters to see what he can get outside of Kansas City.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Feb. 8 that the Chiefs and Kelce planned to reconvene at some point after Super Bowl 60 to “to finalize a plan that works for both parties,” but Kansas City wants to bring him back.
The Chiefs are entering something of a rebuilding phase this offseason. Their floor in 2026 will remain incredibly high assuming Patrick Mahomes returns at full strength after tearing his ACL in Week 15, but they traded away Trent McDuffie for a package that included a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
Kansas City now owns picks nine and 29 overall with many holes to fill on the roster. Tight end would open up another hole if Kelce were to walk away.
A third-round pick in the 2013 draft, Kelce has spent his entire NFL career with the Chiefs to this point. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions (1,080), receiving yards (13,002) and receiving touchdowns (82).
Source Article: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25404362-new-travis-kelce-rumors-potential-return-chiefs-amid-nfl-retirement-buzz
