The Kansas City Chiefs locked in their star tight end, Travis Kelce, to a massive three-year, $54.7 million deal on Monday. Just as Kelce was finishing the paperwork for his return, a staff member handed him a phone. On the other end was the franchise’s offensive leader and his dearest friend, Patrick Mahomes, on a video call, beaming. Their warm exchange was later shared by the Chiefs.

“What’s up, one-five?” Kelce greets Mahomes, referring to the quarterback’s jersey number. “Patricio! Patricio! Let’s go, baby, home sweet home. You know what I’m saying.”

“With the beard too, man,” Mahomes replied. “I just wanted to call to say congratulations. I know you’ve got stuff to do.

“QB1 got his bestie back 📲,” the post’s caption reads.

Kelce hung up after wishing Mahomes a swift recovery from his ACL and LCL injuries that the latter sustained in December. This could be a completely staged marketing move just to build hype around Kelce’s comeback. But Mahomes seemed genuinely thrilled to have his teammate around for a little longer. 

The two have been playing alongside each other since 2017, the year the Chiefs selected Mahomes as the 10th overall pick. At that point, Kelce had already finished four seasons with Andy Reid’s team, though he spent the entire 2013 campaign on injured reserve. They became a starting duo in 2018 and have won three Lombardi Trophies together. And now, they are ready to add more milestones to their partnership.

Kelce’s deal runs through the 2028 season. According to the NFL Network, this deal comes with $12 million in guaranteed amounts. His signing squashes month-long rumors around his return for the 14th NFL season. Celebrating his return, the Chiefs’ Instagram account extended its celebration beyond the sweet interaction between the two powerhouses.

Travis Kelce shares a powerful message after securing a huge contract

Shortly after sharing Travis Kelce’s signing moment, the Chiefs took a walk down memory lane to where it all started. They shared a clip from 2013, featuring CEO Clark Hunt’s announcement of Kelce’s selection as the 63rd overall in the 2013 NFL draft. The video also shows Kelce watching it live on television while standing next to an emotional Donna Kelce in another frame.

Just hours after this post, Kansas City shared another clip with Kelce walking across the Arrowhead facility’s corridors. Later in the video, he shared a promising message for the upcoming season, starting September 9, 2026.

“Home sweet home,” Kelce said. “We’re excited, man. I think Coach Veach and the entire staff have brought in some of our favorites in terms of coaches, but also some of the best in the league have been added to the team. So it’s exciting times, and I’m just ready to get back into a team uniform, man.” 

As for Kelce’s “favorite coaches,” Eric Bieniemy is definitely on the list. He returned to the role of offensive coordinator following Matt Nagy’s departure this offseason. Bieniemy has previously worked with the tight end from 2013 to 2022. He served as a running backs coach for the first five years before transitioning to the offensive coordinator position. 

Earlier, Travis Kelce admitted to taking his sweet time to process Kansas City’s terrible 2025 season. It fueled his comeback, as he didn’t want to close his NFL chapter on such a low note. Despite declining production, he has amassed 1080 receptions for 13,002 yards and 82 touchdowns across thirteen seasons. And now, fans can’t wait to see whether Kelce will do justice to his new deal by putting up another powerful year.