The 2025 NFL season is fast approaching, and the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty may be entering its last hurrah with Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs star tight end has played his way into being in the conversation as being one of the all-time greats at his position.
Kelce is considered one of the best tight-ends in NFL historyGettyBut, after posting his lowest yards and touchdown totals since his rookie season back in 2014, with 823 yards and a mere three touchdowns, all signs appear to point to Father Time catching up to the 35-year-old.
However, head coach Andy Reid – who has been putting Kelce through his paces over the years – has re-instilled his faith in his first-choice tight end that he will bounce back next season despite his age.
“It’ll be similar to last year,” Reid said on his plans for Kelce’s playing time next season, via ESPN.
“He’s in great shape right now, so I think he’s looking forward to getting going.
“I always watch him. I always keep an eye on him. I know he’s getting older. He doesn’t know he’s getting older, but I do.
“I can be the bad guy in some cases there, if needed. If I think it’s catching up to him a little bit, I’ll pull off and put him where he needs to be.
“Other than that, he hasn’t shown me any of that yet. He’s done really well with it.”
Throughout his career, Kelce has surpassed the 1,000 yards in a season total seven times, doing so in an NFL-record seven consecutive seasons between 2016-2022.
The 2022 campaign also saw the seven-time All-Pro tight end record a career-high 12 touchdowns in the regular season and four touchdowns in the post-season.
But, after seeing his numbers slowly decline since then, the three-time Super Bowl champion subtly suggested that the 2025 NFL season might well be his last in the league.
Kelce, 35, struggled with his production in 2024Getty Reid admits he won’t be changing his plans for Kelce too muchGettyKelce had already opted to forego retirement as he aims to overcome the disappointment of the Chiefs’ devastating Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last time out.
Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach has even questioned, at times, whether ‘The Big Yeti’ has lost his edge.
But, just as he internally doubts his player, the 10-time Pro Bowler always seems to show exactly why he is still Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 target.
“We’ve all seen it over the last few years,” Veach said.
“There are periods throughout the season where you’re like, ‘This might be it.’ But when the games are the most important and the lights are the brightest, he finds it somewhere.”
“The great ones know how to find it. They know where it’s buried, and they know how to access it. And they can’t access it at that age week in and week out, but when they need it, they know how to find it.”
Despite the beau of pop sensation Taylor Swift’s presence on the field alone giving the team an advantage, Veach acknowledges that the Chiefs can’t expect Kelce to shoulder the majority of the receiving load on offense like he has in years past.
“His numbers won’t be the same,” Veach said. “You have to acknowledge … that he’s older. He’s not 28 years old. But everything runs more efficiently when that guy is out there.
“He’s still going to demand the attention or at least the occasional eyes of primary defenders just because of his name and his legacy.”
“Having Travis on the field makes us better. I don’t know if I look at it in terms of expectations for yardage or touchdowns or catches.
“When he’s on the field, he makes us better. He’s also a guy who makes the people around him better.”
Entering his 13th season in the league, the veteran tight end may find that his role changes throughout the season, but one thing is for certain – Kelce will give everything he has to help Mahomes lead Big Red’s team to Super Bowl glory once again.
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