Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce doesn’t seem to be finished yet.
On Thursday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” McAfee read a text regarding Kelce’s status for the 2025 season, which ESPN later confirmed came directly from the future Hall of Famer.
“I’m coming back for sure,” Kelce said in the text, according to McAfee. “Going to try to get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle.
“I can’t go out like that!!!!”
The X account of “New Heights,” the podcast co-hosted by Travis and his brother Jason Kelce, confirmed the news in a post later Thursday that read: “From the desk of @tkelce: ITS TIME FOR YEAR 13.” The post added that a full breakdown of the decision would be in next week’s episode.
The Chiefs also seemed to affirm Kelce’s return with an X post that included a photo of the TE captioned “YEAR 13.”
The latest update on Kelce’s future comes days after Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said at the NFL Scouting Combine that he anticipated Kelce to return in 2025.
“We’re just operating as if he’s here,” Veach told reporters Tuesday.
In the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Kelce finished with four receptions on six targets for 39 yards. While Kelce, 35, passed Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice for the most Super Bowl receptions, it was the first time in his career he was held without a catch in the first half of a postseason game.
Advertisement
Two days after the loss, Kelce revealed on the “New Heights” podcast that he was contemplating retirement and said he would “take some time to figure it out.”
The 2025 season would be Kelce’s 13th (all with the Chiefs), and his final campaign under contract after agreeing last April to a two-year, $34.25 million deal that made him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end.
Over the past decade-plus, Kelce and the Chiefs have made five trips to the Super Bowl with three victories. He is regarded as one of the most successful tight ends in NFL history, ranking third all-time amongst TEs in career receptions (1,004) and receiving yards (12,151), and fifth all-time in career receiving touchdowns (77).
