Travis Kelce took his time shutting down the retirement talk, but once the decision was made, the veteran tight end made it clear the fire to compete never really left.
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After weeks of speculation, the future Hall of Famer confirmed he would return to the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2026 season on a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $15 million. And while the announcement excited fans in Kansas City, it also drew praise from around the league, including from Jalen Hurts.
Hurts, who has faced Kelce in some of the NFL’s biggest matchups in recent years, had nothing but respect for the veteran tight end choosing to keep playing. “He is a great player,” Hurts said when asked about Kelce returning for another season.
For the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, the decision ultimately came down to passion, something he believes should always be encouraged in professional sports.
“He has a love of the game,” Hurts explained. “Anything you are passionate about, I am all for him living out his dream.”
Hurts added that Kelce’s competitiveness is still evident even deep into his career.
“You still have that fire in his heart to compete,” Hurts said. “They’ve got a great team. They’ve done great things over the years. A lot of respect for them and the organization.”
Interestingly, Kelce later revealed the decision to continue playing wasn’t something he arrived at during the offseason. Speaking on the New Heights podcast, the 36-year-old said he actually made up his mind midway through the 2025 season.
“About midway through the season,” Kelce said when asked when he knew he would return. However, he deliberately waited before making the news public because he didn’t want emotions to drive the decision.
“I was taking Jason Kelce’s advice,” Kelce explained. “You gotta let the emotions clear and you gotta have a clear head. I’ve made decisions based off emotions, and they haven’t always played out the right way.” Once the dust settled, he realized the competitive hunger was still there.
“It still felt like I was hungry enough to get back at it,” Kelce said. “I hated the way that s*** ended last year and I wanna make it right.”
Kelce will return to an offense still led by Patrick Mahomes, his longtime quarterback and one of the biggest reasons he chose to stay in Kansas City. Despite entering his 14th NFL season, Kelce continues to produce at a high level. In 2025, he recorded 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns while once again leading the Chiefs in receiving.
His consistency has also placed him among the greatest tight ends in NFL history. Kelce recently surpassed 13,000 career receiving yards, reaching the milestone faster than legends like Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.
