Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs woke up to some great news on Monday. Legendary tight end Travis Kelce is expected to return for his 14th season, erasing fears that he might retire and create a new hole on the Chiefs’ roster. And his teammates are excited about it.
Chris Jones Celebrates Travis Kelce Return to Chiefs
The Chiefs won three Super Bowls in five seasons. Since Patrick Mahomes joined the team, they’ve been perennial contenders, with Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones as the core of the roster. It’s no surprise that Kelce’s return has made them happy.
š«šā¦.. weāre so back https://t.co/8WBI1mEwqE
ā Chris Jones (@StoneColdJones) March 9, 2026
As soon as news of the tight end playing in 2026 became public, Jones took to Twitter to express his happiness. He used the crown emoji to refer to Kelce, also writing “we’re so back” in the same tweet.
Kelce was one of the rare bright spots for the Chiefs in 2025. Even though he’s in decline, he was an important player for an offense that fell off a cliff, ending the year ranked No. 17 in our PFSN Offense Impact Metric. He had 76 receptions, 851 yards, and 5 touchdowns in 2025.
Even though the tight end hasn’t reached the 1,000-yard mark in the past three seasons, his leadership is invaluable. He continues to find space through defenses thanks to his intelligence and route-running. Kelce, who’s 36, lost a yard of pace in recent years, but still scored eight touchdowns in 10 playoff games since 2022.
There was an expectation around the NFL that, as a free agent, Kelce could be available for other teams who wanted to sign him. However, Monday’s message was clear: he was returning with the expectation of playing for the Kansas City Chiefs and would not make himself available to offers when free agency began.
In 2025, Kelce was ranked as the No. 12 tight end in our PFSN TE Impact Metric, earning an 80.6 grade.
The offseason will present a new challenge for the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes suffered a serious knee injury at the end of the 2025 season and is now facing a long period of recovery. It’s still unclear if he’ll miss any regular-season games, but either way, losing time of preparation is already a big hit.
Kansas City, however, is gearing up for a playoff push after missing the postseason for the first time since 2014. They made a splashy move on Monday, signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to a three-year deal.
