Travis Kelce is gearing up for a return to the NFL, according to one of the most foremost authorities in Chiefs Kingdom.
“He’s coming back, guys,” ESPN Chiefs reporter Nate Taylor said on 96.5 The Fan on Wednesday, March 4. “Every indication I’ve gotten is that Travis Kelce is looking forward to coming back. When we’ll know that for sure, that’s really his prerogative.”
Taylor continued, “I know some people are like, ‘If he hasn’t really signed before free agency starts, how does that affect free agency?’ I’m like, ‘Eh, it doesn’t really affect free agency. They can allocate that money however they want.’”
The NFL’s free agency window officially opens on Wednesday, March 11.
“They might give him — and I’ve said this before — maybe a two-year deal where you can spread some of that money out and give a pretty nice chunk of signing bonus to get that base salary to be manageable for 2026,” Taylor explained. “If you gotta eat it in 2027 if [Kelce] retires, you go ahead and eat it. He’s given you everything you could have asked for already.”
Taylor urged fans to be “realistic” about their expectations moving forward, especially in the wake of quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffering a season-ending torn ACL in December 2025.
“What you get in 2026 you hope is a lot better than what you got in 2025,” he said. “If the quarterback comes through the 2026 season healthy, hopefully you got a crew that’s ready to go in 2027 that’s young, that’s youthful, that reminds you of what you saw in 2022 and 2023, even if Travis Kelce isn’t around for the ’27 season.”
Mahomes indicated in January that he intends to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season.
As for Kelce, he’s remained coy about the prospect of returning for his 14th NFL season, though he nostalgically discussed what he’ll miss most when the day comes on the Wednesday episode of his “New Heights” podcast.
“Man, I think it’s just those moments in the big games,” Kelce said. “The feeling of having to rise to the occasion, be there for 70,000 [fans] that are all counting on you out there, outside of the guys you go to war with, the guys you go to battle with.”
He added, “Those moments of rising to the occasion in the heat of the battle — in the playoffs and all the big games — that’s a feeling I know I’ll never get again.”
