The Kansas City Chiefs are still waiting for Travis Kelce to officially reveal his NFL plans, but a recent prediction suggests that the tight end could be preparing for another season. While the 36-year-old veteran is entering free agency soon, he has several opportunities to make a career away from football. With a wedding also on the horizon, retirement has been on the table for Kelce throughout this offseason, but not everyone believes that Kelce is ready to step away from the NFL just yet.

“I do expect Kelce to come back this year,” NFL reporter Hayley Lewis said recently via Yahoo Sports. “I can’t imagine Kelce being someone that would screw his team over by not letting them know but this decision is a very hard one to make.”

Travis Kelce has spent all 13 seasons of his NFL career with the Chiefs and built a résumé worthy of the Hall of Fame. In 191 career games, Kelce has recorded 13,002 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns while helping the Chiefs reach five Super Bowls and win three of them. But things look very different now as the Chiefs appear to be entering a reset phase. So, this makes Kelce’s decision regarding a potential 14th season with the Chiefs even more difficult, as Lewis also pointed out. 

The 2025 season added to the uncertainty around Travis Kelce’s future with the Chiefs, as for the first time in more than 10 years, the TE missed the playoffs. While the Chiefs finished the season with a disappointing 6-11 record, the situation had already worsened earlier when the franchise quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, suffered a devastating season-ending injury.

Now, with the Chiefs preparing for a major roster overhaul this offseason, Chiefs insider Nate Taylor recently suggested that Travis Kelce is leaning toward returning for another year. Interestingly, Kelce made his decision to return fairly quickly last offseason, announcing it in late February. This time around, however, the process appears to be taking longer, but Chiefs general manager Brett Veach recently explained that his organization is giving Kelce the space he needs.

“We’ve taken a different approach with Travis,” Brett Veach said recently while addressing reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. “We’ve kind of prepared for either scenario. Coach had mentioned on Friday that he’s had great dialogue with Travis on our end, myself, [assistant general manager] Chris Shea, Travis’ crew, we’ve had some good dialogue there.”

While the Chiefs remain patient with Travis Kelce, their front office also faces serious financial challenges. This offseason, the Chiefs have been more than $57 million over the salary cap, and Kelce’s contract situation only adds another layer of complexity. The TE’s two-year, $34.25 million deal with the Chiefs has already expired. That naturally raises another question: Will Kelce sign a short-term deal to finish his career with the Chiefs? According to Nate Taylor, Kelce’s decision might not dramatically affect the Chiefs’ plans for the free agency that begins next week.

“I know some people are like, well, ‘If he [Travis Kelce] hasn’t really signed before free agency starts, how does that affect free agency?’” Nate Taylor said on the 96.5 The Fan podcast this week. “I’m like, it really doesn’t affect free agency. They can allocate that money however they want. Now, they might give him, and I’ve said this before, maybe a two-year deal where you can spread some of that money out and give a pretty nice chunk of signing bonus to get that base salary to be manageable for 2026.”

“And hey, if you got to eat it in 2027, if he retires, you go ahead and eat it. He’s giving you everything you could have asked for already.”

Taylor’s viewpoint reflects how valuable Travis Kelce has been to the organization. Even if the Chiefs take on some future financial risk, keeping the veteran TE for another season might still be worth it. And if Hayley Lewis’ prediction proves correct, the 2026 season could become Kelce’s final opportunity to compete at the highest level before eventually hanging up his cleats.

Travis Kelce opens up about his feelings on retirement from the NFL

Although Travis Kelce has not publicly confirmed whether he will return to the NFL next season, the TE recently became nostalgic as he reflected on his NFL career. During a recent episode of his New Heights podcast, Kelce was asked what he would miss most if the Chiefs’ Week 18 game against the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 season turned out to be his final NFL appearance. And Kelce’s response revealed just how much the competitive moments in the league still matter to him.

“Man, I think it’s just those moments in the big games, man,” Travis Kelce said. “The feeling of having to rise to the occasion, be there for 70,000, that are all counting on you out there, outside of just the guys that you go to war with, the guys go to battle with, man. Those moments of rising to the occasion in the heat of the battle, you know, in the playoffs and all the big games out there, man, that’s a feeling that I know I’ll never get again. Those are the things that you cherish the most.”

Travis Kelce’s words highlight something many athletes struggle with when considering retirement: the adrenaline of competition and the emotional highs that come with it while playing in front of thousands of fans. But despite facing all that during a difficult season last year for the Chiefs, Kelce still produced at a high level. He finished the 2025 campaign with 76 receptions for 851 yards and 5 TDs. On top of that, Kelce also earned his 11th Pro Bowl selection, proving that he still remains among the best TEs in the NFL.

Ultimately, based on his recent comments and continued passion for the game, it would not be surprising to see Travis Kelce return for at least one more season. But whether that final chapter happens in 2026 remains the biggest question hanging over the Chiefs this offseason.