The Kansas City Chiefs will have at least one more go-around with tight end Travis Kelce teaming up with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kelce, 36, decided to play another year amid retirement speculation, and Mahomes, 30, looks to bounce back from a season-ending ACL tear in 2025. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach recently explained the depth of the relationship between the two stars during an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio.
“Him and Pat have almost a brother-like relationship,” Veach told Sirius XM NFL Radio. “I think there’s an element of Travis wanting to see Pat through this rehab process.”
Mahomes and Kelce have played together in Kansas City since 2017, when the Chiefs took Mahomes with the No. 10 pick that year out of Texas Tech. Kelce, a former third-round pick in 2013 from Cincinnati, has been a major part of Mahomes’ career success thus far.
In 123 regular season games, Mahomes has connected with Kelce on 753 passes for 8,923 yards and 61 touchdowns. It has been just as good in the playoffs for Mahomes and Kelce, besides three Super Bowl wins, with 155 completed passes for 1,784 yards and 19 touchdowns in 21 games.
Chiefs GM ‘Knew’ Travis Kelce’s Retirement Plans
Kelce’s retirement speculation swirled last season and only picked up when the Chiefs’ season ended prematurely in the regular season.
That said, Veach didn’t have to wait for Kelce’s decision. Kelce still performed at a high level in 2025 with 76 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns.
“That Monday [after the regular season], we had player exit interviews, and Travis popped in the office, and we talked about a lot of stuff,” Veach told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “The one thing he said — he basically said, ‘I’m not going out like this. I’m gonna take a few weeks off here, but let’s get in touch and let’s plan on me being here.’”
“We knew he was coming back right away … 24 hours after the last game, I knew 100% that he would be back,” Veach added.
Kelce hasn’t played for a team with a losing record in his career until last season, and the Chiefs missed the playoffs for only the second time in his career. Kansas City failed to make the postseason in 2014 with a 9-7 mark, previously the Chiefs’ worst record during Kelce’s career.
Kelce hasn’t eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving or five touchdowns since 2022, but he is still putting up some of the better tight end numbers in the league. He has hit at least 90 receptions, 820 yards and three touchdowns in each of the past three seasons.
1 Analyst Says It All on Patrick Mahomes’ Recovery
Mahomes, who went down in December 2025 against the Los Angeles Chargers, looks to be on track to play right away in the regular season this year.
For NFL analyst and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, he’s not surprised. If Mahomes plays before Sept. 14, he will return to the field in less than nine months from the time of the injury.
“He’s a psycho of psychos,” Simms said during his podcast. “It’s all day, it’s every day. It’s what he is. You knew he would be on a mission to be back with his team even in OTAs.”
“Forget training camp. I just know how the guy operates,” Simms continued. “He wants to be great and be out there with the guys. Mahomes is everything you want, for all the right reasons.”
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