Even at 36, Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce doesn’t look like a player easing into the sunset. Instead, he looks like a tight end still dictating coverages, still carrying a locker room, and still forcing his head coach to recalibrate what ‘late prime’ even means. And Andy Reid has just said the quiet part out loud. Coach Reid was asked what he saw from Kelce in his 13th NFL season, and he didn’t hedge or lower the bar. 

“I thought he has had a heck of a year,” Reid admitted in a recent presser. “Great leadership, obviously. I thought it was a step up, even from what he played last year. He made that a point this offseason to really focus in and come in great shape. It’s helped him throughout the year.” 

And that’s not just fluff. Coach Reid sees that his 36-year-old tight end just got better. The Chiefs have shifted more responsibility towards younger receivers this year, marking a drop in Kelce’s targets. He’s had 92 targets so far this year compared to 107 at the same time last season. But Kelce has stayed the safety valve and tone-setter. When games have tilted, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has still looked his way on third downs. That presence and trust are all still there, even if the production may have dipped.  

Last season, when Travis Kelce posted career lows in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, the Chiefs had listed him at 250 pounds. But he attacked the 2025 offseason like a man rewriting his own expiration date, reportedly dropped around 25 pounds through an intense training regimen, and regained his prime shape and athleticism. “You’ve got to rebuild,” Kelce said. Less travel, more focus. And Andy Reid saw it pay off all season.

For Kansas City, that presence matters a lot. After falling to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15, Mahomes is now rehabbing a torn ACL. The Chiefs are staring at their first season without a playoff run since 2014, and the roster is in transition with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew. Andy Reid needs pillars who can steady the room when the season turns weird. And Kelce is exactly that pillar.

Kelce remains the only star on the active roster who remembers what a losing season feels like. But even with just three games left for them this season, Kelce isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. His voice, his preparation, and his ability to show what ‘locked in’ actually looks like are all the things that Andy Reid is banking on for the last stretch.

But here’s the thing. When your coach says you took a “step up” at 36, the next question is tricky. Is this a one-year push, or is Kelce planning one more run? 

Travis Kelce’s move beyond this season

Ever since the Super Bowl LIX loss last season, the speculations around Travis Kelce’s retirement have been rampant. He’d squashed those rumors and suited up this season. After being eliminated from the playoff race, those narratives are back. But Kelce isn’t ready to go there publicly yet. When asked about his retirement, he immediately shifted the focus.

“I’d rather just keep the focus of the media and everything on this team, right now,” Kelce said in his media availability on Friday, December 19. “All the conversations that I have with the team and everything moving forward will be with them.”

Instead of talking about retirement, Kelce chose to talk about the unfamiliar territory the Chiefs face now, knowing that their 2025 campaign ends on January 4. Still, his focus remains on winning out the next three games and finishing the year strong.

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“I think it’s a unique time in my life,” Kelce further added. “I’ve got three games left, and I know when the season ends this year. Typically, we go into it, and we don’t know when it’s going to end, and that’s the beauty of it. – Just trying to make sure that everybody here knows that I’m focused on trying to win football games, these last three games.”

That’s classic Kelce. Keep the focus on the ball and the locker room. Still, the decision is coming. He will turn 37 next October, and his contract is up after this season. If he returns, there’s a real chance he opens 2026 catching passes from Gardner Minshew or another bridge option while Mahomes finishes his ACL recovery.

And that’s where Travis Kelce sits. Praised by his head coach for leveling up at 36, facing three more games, and refusing to rush the biggest decision of his career. Reid has seen the growth, but the ticking clock grows ever louder. Kelce, though? He’s still chasing first downs and letting the future wait its turn.