Travis Kelce appears ready to return for a 14th NFL season — but Chiefs Kingdom might be faced with a harsh reality if he does.
Kelce’s representatives are prepared to talk to “multiple teams” about signing him, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Jesse Newell reported on Sunday, March 8.
While Kelce, 36, is “expected” to return for another season, “it isn’t a sure thing” that it will be in Kansas City.
The superstar tight end has been mulling his football future since the Chiefs’ 2025-2026 season came to a disappointing end in January.
Kelce has played all 13 seasons of his NFL career in Kansas City. He is currently a free agent.
The Athletic pointed to the Chiefs’ current financial situation as a potential prohibiting factor for signing Kelce.
“The Chiefs have limited salary-cap room this season for free agents like Kelce after signing so many of their players to long-term contracts in recent offseasons,” Russini and Newell explained.
A decision about Kelce is expected soon, as the NFL free agency period opens on Wednesday, March 11.
ESPN Chiefs writer Nate Taylor provided a bit of a more optimistic update about Kelce staying in Kansas City last week.
“He’s coming back, guys,” Taylor said on 96.5 The Fan on Wednesday, March 4. “Every indication I’ve gotten is that Travis Kelce is looking forward to coming back. When we’ll know that for sure, that’s really his prerogative.”
Taylor also acknowledged the Chiefs’ current financial situation, saying, “I know some people are like, ‘If he hasn’t really signed before free agency starts, how does that affect free agency?’ I’m like, ‘Eh, it doesn’t really affect free agency. They can allocate that money however they want.’”
“They might give him — and I’ve said this before — maybe a two-year deal where you can spread some of that money out and give a pretty nice chunk of signing bonus to get that base salary to be manageable for 2026,” Taylor added. “If you gotta eat it in 2027 if [Kelce] retires, you go ahead and eat it. He’s given you everything you could have asked for already.”
Taylor gave Chiefs fans a wide-lensed look at things, urging them to be “realistic” after quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL in December 2025.
“What you get in 2026 you hope is a lot better than what you got in 2025,” he said. “If the quarterback comes through the 2026 season healthy, hopefully you got a crew that’s ready to go in 2027 that’s young, that’s youthful, that reminds you of what you saw in 2022 and 2023, even if Travis Kelce isn’t around for the ’27 season.”
NFL free agency officially opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
