In a move that was highly expected, Future Hall of Fame Tight End Travis Kelce is expected to return to the Kansas City Chiefs. Per the NFL Network, the brief flirtation with testing the free agent market ended before Monday’s 11:00 AM deadline.
Updated 4:40 CST:
Per the NFL Network, the #Chiefs are giving Travis Kelce a one-year $12M deal with up to $3M in potential incentives. It’s not yet known what the 2026 salary cap impact will be for his return, but that news should break shortly.
Original Post:
On Sunday, news media went crazy when a report indicated that Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce might test the free agent waters. However, per Ian Rapport at NFL Network, the future Hall of Famer will play his 14th and final season in the NFL with the team that drafted him over a decade ago.
There was little doubt that the 2025 season ended so badly for the Chiefs that Kelce didn’t want to end his career on a down note. Though at age 36, you never know how the body will respond to playing another season. Even though his numbers were down the last two years, he’s still a Top Five tight end who takes considerable pride in being in the best shape each year.
With free agency set to begin, it’s still possible the Chiefs will add a younger tight end at some point. On the current roster, Noah Gray could be a candidate for a salary cut. Jared Wiley is entering his third year, and he’s been injured most of his stay in Kansas City. The Chiefs are very high on last year’s prized undrafted signee, former Clemson Tight End, Jake Briningstool.
Stay tuned to ChiefsBlitz.com for the latest Chiefs free agency news!
