NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
January football has become routine for the Kansas City Chiefs, with the team’s seasons regularly extending into early February. But a 6-11 record in the 2025 season meant the Chiefs were outside the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
While the Chiefs offseason started earlier than usual, Patrick Mahomes Season-ending ACL injury and the uncertainty surrounding Travis Kelce’s future are being closely watched in Kansas City.
The 2025 season marked Kelce’s 13th year in the league. Last summer, the 11-time Pro Bowler fended off questions about returning to the Chiefs, and those concerns are likely to resurface in the months leading up to training camp. But Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt is confident the 36-year-old tight end can continue to be a productive NFL player.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Super Bowl LIV: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates with team owner Clark Hunt after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium on February 2, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
“Well, as an organization, we certainly hope he comes back,” Hunt said on “Good Morning Football” Tuesday.
OFF-SEASON KANSAS CITY HEADS COACH ANDY REID: “I’M GOING TO FIX IT”
“He had another great year, maybe not on par with what he was four or five years ago, but he still had over 800 yards and was really one of the leaders on the offensive side of the ball for us. So there’s no doubt in my mind that he can still play. We’re trying to be respectful and give him the time he needs to make a decision.”
Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt looks on before a 2025 AFC Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 18, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)
Hunt acknowledged Kelce’s personal commitments this offseason and said the organization will give him some time to make a decision regarding his football future.
“He has a pretty busy offseason with his engagement and his wedding, so we want to be respectful and give him the time he needs to make a decision. But we certainly hope he comes back.”
Kelce finished the 2025 regular season with 851 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He was drafted in 2013, but a preseason knee injury kept him sidelined for almost his entire rookie season, aside from limited action on special teams. The 2023 season broke Kelce’s streak of seven consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce waves to the crowd after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
If Kelce returns, all signs point to Mahomes throwing him the ball again. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid expressed confidence in the quarterback’s mindset regarding his rehab approach.
“He’s going to attack him, like he does everything else,” Reid said of Mahomes’ upcoming rehab. “There’s been some really good quarterbacks that have had the same injury, and they’ve done pretty well after coming back. He’ll take care of it, and he’s got good people here to rehab him. He’ll be on top of it all.
“As long as the surgery goes well, as planned, I would expect a pretty quick recovery for him, just because of those factors.”
