Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) grins next to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick … [+]
After Travis Kelce’s lackluster, four-catch, 39-yard performance in Super Bowl LIX, many presumed that was a wrap for perhaps the greatest tight end in NFL history.
“I’ll let Travis make that decision on his own, man. He’s given so much to this team and to the NFL and been such a joy,” Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said after that 40-22 loss. “He’s done enough to be a gold-jacket guy and first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
On Thursday, however, ESPN’s Pat McAfee revealed that Kelce had texted him, indicating he wanted to come back.
McAfee read the text: “I’m coming back for sure. Gonna try to get into the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and with how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!”
Returning also would make financial sense, considering Kelce signed a contract extension before the 2024 season to make him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end, and he has one more year left on his deal.
Kelce coming back in 2025, though, hasn’t been made official.
In fact, during the exit interview with him after the season, head coach Andy Reid suggested he get out of town and relax, something Kelce is accustomed to — considering his entertainment career and high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift — before coming to a decision.
“You’ve exhausted yourself mentally and physically,” Reid said. “Step back and take care of that, and then we’ll talk.”
Chiefs to Franchise Tag Trey Smith
It sounds like the Chiefs might get another key offensive starter back.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Chiefs have informed Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith that they will be placing the franchise tag on him.
That would be surprising for a cap-strapped team that already is paying Kelce, defensive lineman Chris Jones ($34.8 million cap hit in 2025) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes ($66.3 million cap hit in 2025) to deals, which rank near the highest of their respective positions.
And the Chiefs already allocated much of their resources to the offensive line, having given right tackle Jawaan Taylor and left guard Joe Thuney $80 million contracts, and center Creed Humphrey was signed to a four-year, $72 million deal just before the 2024 season.
The Chiefs will try to sign Smith to a longer, cap-friendly deal, but the one-year tag would cost $23.4 million, giving them a very expensive offensive line that would take up much of their financial pie.
The Chiefs, though, also could still trade him.
That’s what they did with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. They tagged Sneed last year before trading him to the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 third-round pick and a swap of 2024 seventh-round picks.
Sneed joined the Chiefs in 2020 and was part of three Super Bowls with the Chiefs.
Kelce has been around for all five Super Bowls of the Mahomes era, including the recent loss in Super Bowl LIX.
“He knows he still has a lot of football left in him. You can see it. He always makes plays in the biggest moments,” Mahomes said after that game. “We love that guy not only for the football player but the person that he is every single day.”
