Rocketing into a position as one of the best-known American athletes over the past two years, Travis Kelce has used this Chiefs dynasty period to cement himself as one of the all-time tight end greats. While this is obviously an easier NFL period to accumulate receiving yards compared to past eras, the Kansas City tight end stands on his own tier in terms of 1,000-yard seasons at his position.
This season brought a second straight sub-1,000-yard showing for Kelce, who has shown decline signs. Kelce earned his 10th Pro Bowl nod but averaged a career-low (by a significant margin) 8.5 yards per catch this season. The 12th-year veteran still led the Chiefs in receiving yardage (823), but he is not the dominant force that powered the Chiefs to victory in 2022. Kelce, who also stands at or near the top in terms of playoff receiving statistics, is not eyeing retirement on the heels of this step back.
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The Chiefs gave Kelce a pay bump this offseason, adding $4MM in total and providing substantial guarantee protection. After the 2024 raise provided $17MM in guarantees at signing, most of his 2025 money is set to vest on Day 3 of the 2025 league year. Kelce’s $17MM-per-year deal still runs through the 2025 season, as the Chiefs did not add any new years to his contract — one initially agreed to in 2020.
It would stand to reason Kelce would want to keep going, even though he has secured lucrative opportunities off the field — thanks to his New Heights podcast (with recently retired brother Jason) and burgeoning movie career. But Patrick Mahomes‘ longtime security blanket is aiming to play beyond this contract.
“I love doing this; I love coming into work every day. I feel like I still have a lot of good football left in me. We’ll see what happens,” Kelce said, adding he would like to play beyond the 2025 season. “I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing football only lasts for so long. You have to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I’ve been doing that in my offseason. But for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.”
Even if the 35-year-old tight end may be unlikely to add an eighth 1,000-yard receiving season to his resume, no other tight end has more than four. Another season will likely give Kelce a gateway to surpassing Jerry Rice in playoff yardage; the receiver icon is up 2,245-2,039 presently. Kelce’s 20 postseason touchdowns are also second only to Rice’s 22, illustrating how important he has been to the Chiefs establishing themselves as this decade’s premier team.
The Chiefs may lack the style points from their Tyreek Hill years, leading to narrow victory margins and steady scrutiny, but Kelce has been vital for the team as it has crafted this threepeat attempt. His relationship with Taylor Swift has certainly brought the two-time reigning champs considerably more attention, even as their string of near-misses (packed with some officiating drama) this season has turned off plenty of fans. But the Chiefs are unlikely to exit stage left by 2025, as Kelce, Mahomes and Chris Jones join Reid in returning as this dynasty’s pillars. The Chiefs gave Jones (30) a massive raise this past offseason, while Mahomes (29) remains tied to his outlier through-2031 extension.
Even with Kelce no longer at his peak, it would be logical, based on all the value Kelce has brought the Chiefs, the team would be interested in continuing this partnership after 2025. Kelce has taken discounts, joining Mahomes in that regard, to help the Chiefs — all while simultaneously contributing to the wage gap that has formed between tight ends and wideouts — soar to their current perch. As a 13th Kelce season in Kansas City is all but assured, it will be interesting to see how much longer this partnership lasts beyond that point.