All eyes around Kansas City are currently on Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce as he mulls an official NFL retirement — but February 19 brought some hope.
While speaking with the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday, The Athletic’s lead NFL insider Dianna Russini provided a very telling update on Kelce.
“You know, I can tell you from just having a few conversations with people around the league over the last few days, there’s definitely a sense that Travis [Kelce] is going to try to play more [football],” Russini told Eisen.
“I haven’t heard anyone say — ‘Yeah, he’s really struggling with what he wants to do,’” the insider continued. Relaying that people feel he’s “definitely leaning more towards” returning for the 2025 campaign.
“That can of course change,” Russini made sure to add, noting that it’s Kelce’s decision at the end of the day.
Finally, she concluded that “for this Chiefs operation looking to move forward here, I think they feel pretty good that Travis [Kelce] has got a little bit more left in him.”
NFL Analyst Urges Chiefs to Ask Less of Travis Kelce If He Does Not Retire in 2025
Kelce has made it clear that he only wants to keep playing football if he feels that he can still contribute and perform at a high level. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean filling up the stat sheet, but it does mean having an impact.
Even in a down year in 2024, no person can argue that Kelce did not impact games.
Just think about how often Rashee Rice was left open early in the year due to Kelce, or DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Xavier Worthy later on. How about Noah Gray’s emergence in two-TE sets? Or Kelce’s growing prowess as a blocker?
Point is, Kelce was certainly a huge part of the Chiefs’ 15-win season, but if he does return, FOX Sports analyst Ralph Vacchiano urged KC to lessen his role.
“The Chiefs have reportedly given their 35-year-old, Hall of Fame-bound tight end a month to make a decision on his future, so they know going into free agency what they have to do,” Vacchiano wrote on February 19. “What is already clear, though, is that Kelce has been on a steep decline the last two seasons, and was a shell of his old self with a career-low 8.5 yards per catch in 2025 (97-823).”
“He is still a focal point of the Chiefs’ offense and a favorite of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but the Chiefs need to decide if that’s a wise strategy if Kelce wants to play another season,” the analyst went on. “[Kelce] was targeted 133 times by Mahomes in the regular season — 35 more times than anyone else. It might be time to start working in another tight end (Noah Gray was only targeted 49 times) or finding a true No. 1 receiver and making him the focus of the offense instead.”
Rashee Rice’s Chiefs Return & Xavier Worthy’s Continued Development Will Help Take the Pressure off Travis Kelce
Two players will be integral in doing what Vacchiano is suggesting, let’s say Kelce does run it back for at least one more year. Those Chiefs are wide receivers Rice and Worthy.
The two recent draft picks headline the next generation of Kansas City playmakers, and Rice’s chemistry with Mahomes was as Kelce-like as anything Chiefs fans have seen before his injury.
Worthy also picked it up down the stretch, earning the trust of his quarterback. If that continues, and if Rice can stay on the field — a question which includes his off-the-field issues — Kelce should have a lot less pressure in 2025.
Now, pressure may not be the reason Kelce calls it quits, but it would help knowing he doesn’t have to be the straw that stirs the drink. Who knows, it might even make one final ride off into the sunset that much more fun watching some of his teammates carry him for a change.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Travis Kelce Retirement Update: Insider Reveals Growing ‘Sense’ Around NFL appeared first on Heavy Sports.