Travis Kelce is 36, a future free agent, and has a burgeoning media career waiting for him; all signs that typically point to retirement. He is looking to start a new life with his fiancée, Taylor Swift, leaving fans naturally wondering if the tight end will retire from the NFL. However, the latest word from inside the Kansas City Chiefs‘ building suggests that the final chapter of his on-field story may not be written just yet.

“He’s [Travis Kelce] coming back, guys,” Nate Taylor said recently on the 96.5 The Fan podcast. “I mean, just get through this season, man. Again, every indication I’ve gotten is that Travis Kelce is looking forward to coming back. When? We’ll know that for sure. That’s really his prerogative.”

Travis Kelce has often talked about wanting to leave the NFL on a high note, but the 2025 season did not exactly provide the perfect ending for the All-Pro TE. For the first time in over a decade, Kelce missed the playoffs as the Chiefs struggled through a disappointing year. The Chiefs finished the 2025 season with a 6-11 record, and the situation worsened when their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, suffered a devastating ACL and LCL tear that ended his season. 

Despite the team’s struggles, Travis Kelce recorded solid production with 76 receptions for 851 yards and 5 touchdowns. But now, with the Chiefs in a rebuild mode, Kelce’s decision to play his 14th NFL season understandably carries more weight than ever. Last year, Kelce officially announced his decision to return to the NFL in late February shortly after playing in Super Bowl LIX. This time, however, the process appears to be taking longer, but Chiefs general manager Brett Veach revealed that his team wants Kelce to go through his own process before committing to the 2026 season.

At the same time, the Chiefs have to deal with a pressing problem involving their finances this year. The Chiefs entered the offseason more than $57 million over the salary cap, forcing the front office to make some tough roster moves before free agency begins. One of the biggest moves came recently when the Chiefs traded All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a package of draft picks in this year’s NFL draft. 

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That move helped provide some financial flexibility, but the Chiefs still need to manage their cap while building their roster through additions in key positions, including that of tight end. Now, while Travis Kelce’s two-year, $34.25 million contract has already expired, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the Chiefs have been under pressure to get him a new deal. Even so, Taylor believes Kelce’s pending retirement decision will not significantly impact the Chiefs’ free-agency strategy.

“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 added. “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.”

The Chiefs drafted Travis Kelce in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, and since then, he has spent his entire 13-year career with the franchise under head coach Andy Reid. Over the years, Kelce has built one of the most iconic quarterback-tight end partnerships in NFL history with Patrick Mahomes. Together, Kelce and Mahomes helped lead the Chiefs to three Super Bowl victories and five Super Bowl appearances since 2019.

Now, if Nate Taylor’s belief proves correct and Travis Kelce returns, the Chiefs could push for one more Super Bowl run in 2026. With Patrick Mahomes also targeting a Week 1 comeback from his injury, the Chiefs might see this season as a final opportunity to compete at the highest level before Kelce eventually walks away from the game to pursue a career away from the football field.

Travis Kelce makes a difficult admission about his post-NFL career 

While Travis Kelce weighs the possibility of playing a 14th NFL season, he recently opened up about what he believes he will miss most once his playing days end. During a recent episode of the New Heights podcast, while Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss appeared as a guest, he asked the TE if the 2025 season ended up being his last, what part of the game he would miss the most. And Kelce’s answer revealed a sad truth about his career after retiring from the NFL.

“Man, I think it’s just those moments in the big games, man,” Travis Kelce said on his New Heights podcast. “The feeling of having to rise to the occasion, be there for, you know, 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.”

“And especially if you’re fortunate enough to be in the playoffs and make runs at it. The satisfaction that you get and the successful feeling you get of all the hard work that you put in is finally paying off, and I think that’ll be one of the things I miss the most, man, for sure.”

After posting 13,002 receiving yards in 191 NFL career games, Travis Kelce made it clear that the adrenaline of big games and the bond with teammates will be the hardest things to replace when he decides to hang up the cleats for good. But Kelce has also opened up on his New Heights podcast about pursuing a potential career in broadcasting after the NFL. Meanwhile, a recent report has revealed that the 11-time Pro Bowler could earn around $15 million annually as a studio analyst if he transitions into broadcasting.

So, while fans continue to wait for Travis Kelce’s official decision related to his NFL future, there is no doubt that his on-field success will translate into a career away from football.