KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While Travis Kelce has alluded to returning for the Kansas City Chiefs 2026 season multiple times this offseason, he still has yet to announce a final decision.
Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach spoke on Tuesday, ahead of the NFL Combine, stating that the Chiefs will be prepared for whether Kelce decides to return for another season or not.
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“I think we’ve kind of taken a different approach with Travis, in the sense that I think we kind of prepared for either scenario,” Veach said. [Andy Reid] had mentioned on Friday, he’s had great dialogue with Travis. Travis is the best, he’s an icon and hopefully he comes back. We’ll just kind of let that process play out.”
In early January, Kelce stated on his podcast that he’d be willing to return next season if his body allows him to.
“I think if my body can heal up and rest up and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18, 20, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat,” Kelce said.
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Kelce hinted at returning again after the Chiefs brought back Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator last month, saying he, “couldn’t wait to see him back in the building.”
The future hall of famer has nothing left to prove but the 2025 season was not the conclusion Kelce was expecting. The Chiefs finished 6-11 and his QB Patrick Mahomes was sidelined for the final three games of the season after tearing his ACL.
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Along with awaiting Kelce’s decision, Veach will have his hands full this offseason as the Chiefs work to fix their roster through the draft and free agency.
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“The last few years, we were kind of in a maintenance stage, and now we’re just trying to rebuild this thing again. I think for a GM and personnel staff, that’s exciting,” Veach said.
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