Returning to the Chiefs for his thirteenth NFL season was a straightforward name for Travis Kelce.
The star tight finish, who was on the middle of retirement buzz earlier this yr, instructed the media Wednesday he feels he’s “got a lot” extra to show following the Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl flop to the Eagles in February.
“I love football. I don’t think I really thought about it that much. My friends and family and the team and the guys and women in this building, I love coming into work every single day. It wasn’t a very tough one for me. I know I’m getting older, but at the same time, I still feel like I got a lot that I can prove in this league … It really wasn’t that hard of a decision for me,” mentioned Kelce, who turns 36 in October.
A 3-time Tremendous Bowl champ and 10-time Professional Bowler, Kelce is coming off a statistically down yr during which he tallied 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns, in comparison with 984 yards and 5 scores in 2023.
It marked the second straight season he didn’t eclipse 1,000 receiving yards — a milestone he had reached seven consecutive instances starting in 2016.
Together with his quiet manufacturing, pundits speculated Kelce’s coronary heart was elsewhere, as he took on alternatives outdoors soccer, akin to internet hosting Amazon’s “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity.”
His profile additionally reached new heights as his relationship with pop famous person Taylor Swift intensified.
Within the wake of the Chiefs’ blowout Tremendous Bowl 2025 loss, during which Kelce caught simply 4 passes for 39 yards within the 40-22 defeat, the All-Professional tight finish vowed to return with vengeance.
“I’m coming back, for sure,” Kelce instructed Pat McAfee in a textual content that was learn on the ESPN star’s self-titled program in late February.
“Gonna try and get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”
Kelce, rumored to have dropped 25 kilos this offseason, additionally addressed the chatter surrounding his reported weight reduction Wednesday.
“First of all, I never said that,” Kelce mentioned, per E! Information. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
Kelce skilled in Florida this offseason and was joined by Swift, 35, who wrapped her international Eras Tour final December after almost two years on the street.
The couple, who’ve been relationship since 2023, stepped out for a Stanley Cup date night time final week earlier than the Panthers had been topped champions over the Oilers once more on Tuesday.
Kelce and the Chiefs open the season on Friday, Sept. 5 in São Paulo, Brazil, in opposition to the Chargers.
