Travis Kelce caught 76 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns in his 2025 campaign. These were below his usual standard since he had seven straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2016 to 2022.
Actually, it was a rough season for the Kansas City Chiefs as they finished 6-11. It marked their first losing record in 13 years and their first time missing the playoffs since 2014.
Their postseason hope ultimately fell apart in Week 15 when quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers. With Mahomes out, the Chiefs finished the final three games with a third-string quarterback.
Mahomes later restructured his contract in the offseason, converting $54.45 million of his 2026 salary into a signing bonus to create $43.56 million in cap space. Kelce, meanwhile, is set to become an unrestricted free agent, with the Chiefs indicating they'd like him back but no official deal announced ahead of the March 11 new league year.
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Against that backdrop, the 36-year-old explained how playing in Mahomes’ offense works on a recent New Heights episode. He admitted that while his former quarterback, Alex Smith, stuck to a strict, timed drop-back, Mahomes relies on instinct, which is an entirely different approach.
Kelce said, "Pat's kind of like, yeah, I'm around my seventh step, but I could, you know, air time on it, do something with my feet. My seventh step might not be... I might stretch my drop this time. So his timing is more just feel out the game."
Kelce said he has the same natural feel he called "backyard football." At one point, he spilled that he once tried to give Mahomes a detailed breakdown of how he would adjust a route against specific coverages, but Mahomes stopped him. "No, man," Mahomes said. "Just get open. I'll throw it when you get open."
Mahomes and Kelce have combined for 18 postseason touchdowns, the most for any duo in NFL history and three more than Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski had together. The majority of the time, they see the field the same way and react in the moment.
Now, that chemistry is at a crossroads. Pat is rehabbing a torn ACL with an 8-to-12 month recovery timeline, and Kelce is deciding if he’ll return for a 14th season or retire. Their unique, uncoachable connection remains the biggest factor in Kansas City’s future.