Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are back in training camp this summer, looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs in 2025. Kansas City finished 6-11 last season, the first time the team failed to make the postseason with Patrick Mahomes as the starting quarterback.
Kelce, one of the longest-tenured Chiefs, enters his 14th season after agreeing to a one-year, $12 million deal this offseason. Retirement talk has followed Kelce for much of the past year.
He has openly acknowledged that he is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and his marriage to Taylor Swift only added more speculation about whether he might walk away sooner than expected.
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Kelce, though, proved last season he still has plenty left. He became just the second tight end in NFL history to top 800 receiving yards at his age, joining Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.
He finished 2025 with 76 catches, 851 yards and five touchdowns across all 17 games. Numbers like those explain why Kansas City still leans on him heavily in the passing game.
So when reporters asked Kelce after Wednesday's practice why he returned for another season, he didn't hesitate.
"I still got a lot of love for this game," Kelce said, h/t reporter Matt Foster. "I still think I can go on and play at a high level. I wanna go out there and prove myself that I can play at a better level than last year. The biggest thing for me is making sure I'm accountable for the guys in this room."
Kelce remains one of Mahomes' most trusted targets, and that isn't changing this season. At 37, he continues to make difficult plays look routine, whether he's finding space in coverage or hauling in contested catches.
With Kansas City looking to return to the playoff picture, Kelce's experience will again be a key part of that push.
