Travis Kelce Will Play For Chiefs Or No One In 2026

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce had perhaps his final home game at Arrowhead Stadium this past Thursday. The 36-year-old veteran is expected to heavily consider retiring after 13 seasons in the NFL. 

While Kelce has played coy in recent weeks about his exact plans, saying only that he’ll take some time after the season to mull things over, some outcomes can be winnowed down. Ian Rapoport said his understanding is that if Kelce plays in 2026, it won’t be for anyone besides the Chiefs. 

Kelce is in the final year of his contract with Kansas City so the two sides would need to work out some sort of arrangement if he wanted to come back for a 14th season.

Despite the Chiefs’ struggles, Kelce has remained fairly productive, especially considering his age, and was voted to the Pro Bowl. He considered retiring last offseason as well (briefly he said) and also left the door open to playing in 2026. 

Whenever Kelce decides to end his playing career, he has a ton waiting for him off the field, including a budding media career and pending nuptials to pop superstar Taylor Swift. 

Kelce, 36, is a former third-round pick of the Chiefs out of Cincinnati back in 2013. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $3.126 million rookie contract and set to make a base salary of $675,000 for the 2016 season when he signed a six-year, $46.8 million contract extension. 

He signed another four-year, $57.25 million extension in 2020. Kelce was due base salaries of $12 million and $16.25 million over the final two seasons of that deal. 

In 2025, Kelce has appeared in 16 games for the Chiefs and recorded 73 receptions on 102 targets for 839 yards and five touchdowns.

We’ll have more on Kelce as the news is available.