Will Travis Kelce return to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025? Or will the future Hall of Famer ride off into the sunset? That is the one question hanging heavy over the NFL offseason.
Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion, has been stealing headlines ever since the final whistle blew in Super Bowl 59. Despite losing that game 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pro Bowl tight end hasn’t yet confirmed whether he intends to suit up next season.
Kelce has dropped several hints about his impending retirement, leaving the football world in a bit of limbo. There has also been no shortage of speculation from reporters. Well, it appears a final decision may be closer than ever.
The Athletic’s Diana Russini Thinks Travis Kelce Returns
The Athletic’s Diana Russini is one of the most plugged-in reporters around the NFL, and she believes Travis Kelce is leaning toward returning to the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2025 season.
Appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Russini reported that the Chiefs “feel pretty good” about seeing Kelce on the field once again. The team has reportedly given their star tight end a deadline of March 14 to make a decision.
“I can tell from just having a few conversations with people around the league in the last few days, there’s definitely a sense that Travis is going to try to play more,” Russini said. “I haven’t heard anyone say, ‘Yeah, he’s really struggling with what to do.’ It’s definitely leaning more towards that.
“That can, of course, change. It’s going to be his decision and his decision only. For this Chiefs operation looking to move forward here, I think they feel pretty good that Travis has got a little bit more left in him.”
Diana Russini of The Athletic said Travis Kelce is “leaning more towards” returning for 2025 and the Chiefs ”feel pretty good” that he can keep playing. pic.twitter.com/Pf8tfrYXNA
— Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) February 20, 2025
Kelce Addressed Retirement Rumors on ‘New Heights’ Podcast
Kelce had an opportunity to break news of his retirement on a post-Super Bowl episode of his popular “New Heights” podcast but chose not to spill the beans.
Surprisingly, yet fittingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a guest cameo — sitting alongside Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce — to announce “New Heights” wouldn’t be taping a new episode on Feb. 18. Schwarzenegger will be their next guest, only it has been postponed for a future date: “I love talking to them and … I’ll be back,” he said.
No new episode this week, but WE’LL BE BACK with offseason episodes and amazing guests soon pic.twitter.com/TM4045sCui
— New Heights (@newheightshow) February 18, 2025
Kelce’s last recorded comments on the podcast left everyone hanging. He went on record to address the retirement rumors, adding that he wasn’t ready to make any “crazy decisions” at that time. Stay tuned.
“I know everybody wants to know whether I am playing next year and right now I am just kicking everything down the road,” Kelce said. “I am kicking every can I can down the road. I am not making any crazy decisions but right now, the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches understanding there’s a lot that goes into this thing.”