As the Kansas City Chiefs get ready to end their disappointing 2025 season in Las Vegas on Sunday, fans naturally want to know if their star tight end, Travis Kelce, will play. There have been rumors that his Week 17 game against the Denver Broncos would be his last, but now, head coach Andy Reid has come forward to clear up the speculation.

“Yes,” the coach said when the media asked him whether Kelce would play against the Raiders or not. That’s a surprise.

With the Chiefs out of the playoffs, many thought Reid would give a rookie or inexperienced players the chance to make a name for themselves. But the coach might have a reason to keep the veteran player on the field. Kelce, who is at 12,990 receiving yards, needs just 57 yards to surpass former Dallas Cowboys TE Jason Witten (13,046) to occupy the No. 2 all-time in career receiving yards by a tight end.

In that case, he will only be behind former Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez (15,127).

The franchise might give Kelce the chance to achieve it. They could have a very Kelce-centric game plan in the beginning and then take him out once he completes the yards he needs. That might be the theme with other starters as well.

The only starter who might not play is Trey Smith because of his ankle injury.

“I think the only [starter] I would think is questionable would be Trey,” Reid said. “He pushed through that ankle, and he would probably push through this game, too. But I’m most likely going to hold him back a little bit.”

Even starting center Creed Humphrey, who never missed a start during his NFL career and is up to 97 combined postseason and regular season starts, will also likely get a chance to extend his streak. That said, Humphrey and Kelce aren’t the only players who have something left to play for in Week 18.

• WR Hollywood Brown: He is yet another player who has something to look forward to against the Raiders. As things stand currently, the player has recorded 46 receptions for 523 yards and five touchdowns on the season. He has earned more than $1.5 million in contract incentives because of his performance, but that number only gets bigger if he plays well in Week 18. If he records two more touchdowns, he will earn an additional $500k in contract incentives. And if he gets in more 102 receiving yards, it’ll be another $125K for crossing the 625 receiving-yard mark.
• RB Kareem Hunt: Week 18 will have financial implications for Hunt, too. Right now, the veteran has played 48% of the offensive snaps, but if he reaches 50%, he will receive a playtime contract incentive worth $125K. And that is achievable if he plays just a little over half the offensive snaps in Week 18.

All that said, retirement is a hot topic in the Chiefs’ locker room. And that’s not just regarding Kelce’s impending decision but also Andy Reid’s.

Andy Reid confirms his head coach status

The 2025 NFL season has been ugly for the Chiefs. After a long dominance and multiple Super Bowl appearances throughout these past few years, their downward spiral was tough to watch. Some fans have even asked Reid to retire.

Talking about retirement, the coach joked, “I think I’m coming back. If they’ll have me back, I’ll come back. You never know in this business.”

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Given his age, he has been dodging retirement questions for the past few seasons. In fact, after winning the Super Bowl two seasons ago, Andy Reid had revealed he wasn’t thinking about his exit and that he would be back for the 2025 season even before their ultimate Super Bowl loss.

For what it’s worth, Reid is under contract through the 2029 season after he signed an extension in 2024. The deal pays him more than $18 million per year.

Reid, who will turn 68 in March, will now wrap up his 27th season as a head coach. For the first 14 seasons, he was with the Eagles, and the last 13 have been with the Chiefs. Unfortunately, KC is 6-10. That’s not only their worst record under Reid, but their first losing season under Reid.

Regardless, the team will not shift its focus to Week 18. They will face the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.