Travis Kelce has yet to announce he’s returning for a 13th NFL season – but Chiefs GM Brett Veach seems to think that’s the case.
The tight end, 35, was noncommittal about his playing future after his team’s Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, saying he would ‘take some time to figure it out’ on his subsequent New Heights podcast.
But while speaking from the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Veach said ‘we’re excited to get him back’ – seemingly quashing the suggestion that Kelce could retire.
‘How we left at the end of the season is that he was fired up. He has one more year under contract,’ Veach told reporters.
‘Still think he has that fire and desire to play. As far as I’m concerned, there is no deadline. We left it as he’d be back, and we’re excited to get him back. And get him going.’
Kelce will be given a $12.5million roster bonus, according to Spotrac, if he is still on the roster as of March 15.
Head coach Andy Reid, meanwhile, was a bit more coy on the subject, but said he advised Kelce to ‘get out of town and relax.’
The coach said he got a chance to speak with Kelce during the team’s exit interviews after the Super Bowl.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini previously said on the Rich Eisen Show, that, from conversations she’s had, there’s ‘definitely a sense’ that Kelce will continue playing.
Kelce was fifth among tight ends in 2024 with 823 receiving yards, though that total was his lowest since his sophomore season in 2014.
The tight end also hauled in just three touchdowns this season and was quiet in Super Bowl LIX, catching four passes for 39 yards in his team’s 40-22 loss.
Ahead of the Super Bowl, Kelce said he hoped to still be playing in three years, though he was more unsure after the Chiefs’ 40-22 Super Bowl loss.
‘I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,’ Kelce said on New Heights. ‘And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back that it’s gonna be a wholehearted decision and I’m not half-a**ing it, and I’m fully here for them.
‘I think I can play, it’s just whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.’
