Tag: Kelce

Feb 13, 2026; Pebble Beach, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce acknowledges the crowd on the 10th hole during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Reports: TE Travis Kelce to stay in KC, play in 2026

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Travis Kelce has decided to play a 14th NFL season in 2026 and reportedly informed other potential suitors he’s returning to the Kansas City Chiefs.

According to multiple reports, Kelce is not open to playing for other teams contrary to reports circulated on Sunday. NFL Network reported that Kelce is expected to pass on what would have been more money elsewhere to return to Kansas City on what is likely to be a new one-year deal, per Sports Illustrated.

He has been selected to 11 Pro Bowls and is a four-time All-Pro with Kansas City. The Chiefs drafted him in the third round in 2013.

Kelce was weighing whether to return for another season after debating retirement the past two offseasons. He is an unrestricted free agent, but has no plans to leave Kansas City, according to the reports.

“We’ve kind of prepared for either scenario,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 24. “We’re trying to position ourselves that either way, we have a plan moving forward.”

Veach said he would be meeting with Kelce’s representatives following the combine and “you need some sort of timeline and deadline,” but called conversations with his camp “positive.”

Head coach Andy Reid said he routinely is in touch with Kelce, 36, who is coming off a relatively down year in a Hall of Fame career.

He had 851 yards and five touchdowns last season, but 76 receptions was Kelce’s lowest total since he had 72 in 2015.

“Travis is the best, he’s an icon and hopefully he comes back,” Veach said in the February interview. “We’ll just kind of let that process play out. It’s not your typical 27-year-old first-time-in-free agency.

“Travis has done everything. He’s accomplished everything. He’s about to get married, got a lot going on. We’re just going to continue to have positive dialogue and see where this thing ends.”

Prior to the 2025 season, Kelce admitted that he contemplated retirement. He also said his life has changed in some ways since he began dating the biggest pop star on the planet in Taylor Swift, to whom he is engaged.

Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion, is the Chiefs’ all-time leader in receptions (1,080), receiving yards (13,002) and touchdown receptions (82).

–Field Level Media

Nov 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) reacts after his touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Chiefs not pushing, prepared for Travis Kelce decision

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Travis Kelce earned patience from the Kansas City Chiefs, who are uncertain two months prior to the NFL draft if their 37-year-old tight end will be on the roster by training camp.

Kelce is weighing whether to return for this 14th season in the league and has debated retirement for the past two offseasons.

“We’ve kind of prepared for either scenario,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “We’re trying to position ourselves that either way, we have a plan moving forward.”

Veach said he would be meeting with Kelce’s representatives this week and “you need some sort of timeline and deadline,” but called conversations with his camp “positive.”

Head coach Andy Reid said he routinely is in touch with Kelce. Kelce is owed a $12.5 million roster bonus next month and has a cap number of almost $20 million the Chiefs likely would adjust with any commitment to play in 2026.

He had 851 yards and five touchdowns last season, but a total of 76 receptions was Kelce’s lowest total since he had 72 in 2015. No. 2 tight end Noah Gray also is an unrestricted free agent.

“Travis is the best, he’s an icon and hopefully he comes back,” Veach said. “We’ll just kind of let that process play out. It’s not your typical 27-year-old first-time-in-free agency.

“Travis has done everything. He’s accomplished everything. He’s about to get married, got a lot going on. We’re just going to continue to have positive dialogue and see where this thing ends.”

–Field Level Media

Retirement era? Chiefs TE Travis Kelce not talking ’26

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Contractually speaking, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is tied to Kansas City for only seven more games.

The 36-year-old kept the door ajar to a possible 14th NFL season in 2026, and based on his production — 50 receptions for 631 yards and four touchdowns — Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid appear unlikely to lock it when the 2025 season ends.

But Kelce knows the painstaking process took a lot of out his older brother, Jason, who retired from the Philadelphia Eagles before the 2024 season.

With that in mind, Travis Kelce said Friday that he has every intention of telling the Chiefs his plans before free agency begins in March.

“I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity, whether I come back or not — or whether they want me back or not. I’d like to make that decision before they’ve got to get draft picks and free agency opens to fill the roster appropriately,” he said.

“All that will be at the end of the season. I won’t be thinking about it until then.”

Kelce turned 36 in October and was determined to give Kansas City another productive season after falling short of his own standard in 2024.

Entering Sunday’s game against the Colts, Kelce leads the Chiefs in catches, yards and TD catches. He scored his 84th career touchdown during last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos to break Priest Holmes’ franchise mark.

“He’s done a heck of a job,” Reid said. “He worked like crazy in the offseason to get himself in tip-top shape, which you have to do when you start reaching an older age. You’ve got to work a little bit extra, and he did that. It’s paying off for him.”

–Field Level Media

Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce are in attendance during the game between Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. - Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Taylor Swift ‘too locked in’ on Chiefs to do Super Bowl halftime

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Taylor Swift said she is “too locked in” on fiance Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs this season to prepare for a Super Bowl halftime show.

Appearing Monday on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” the pop superstar rejected rumors that she turned down the gig for Super Bowl LX due to a dispute over ownership rights of the performance footage.

“No, no,” Swift said. “Here’s the thing. Jay-Z has always been really good to me. Our teams are really close.”

Jay-Z owns Roc Nation, the entertainment company that chooses the Super Bowl halftime headliner. Bad Bunny will perform at the Feb. 8, 2026 contest at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Swift, 35, said she never received a formal offer about the Super Bowl gig.

She explained that she will be too busy cheering for Kelce, 36, the 10-time Pro Bowl tight end who has played in five of the last six Super Bowls with the Chiefs — winning three.

“We’re always able to tell him the truth, which is that I am in love with a guy who does that sport on that field,” Swift said. “Like that is violent chess. That is gladiators without swords. That is dangerous. The whole season, I am locked in on what that man is doing on the field.

“Can you imagine if he’s out there every single week, putting his life on the line doing this very dangerous, very high-pressure, high-intensity sport, and I’m like, ‘I wonder what my choreo should be?’ “I’m just too locked in.”

Kelce’s Chiefs dropped to 2-3 on Monday night with a 31-28 road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He caught seven passes for 61 yards and his second touchdown of the season.

–Field Level Media

Jul 21, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart (90) at training camp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Report: NFL fines Chargers DT Teair Tart for slap

Posted on | by Field Level Media

A slap to the face of an opponent will be costly for Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart, ESPN reported on Friday.

The NFL reportedly fined Tart for his open-handed connection with the facemask of Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce last week as the Chargers defeated the Chiefs 27-21 in Sao Paulo.

A first offense for striking produces a $12,172 fine, per league rules. The fine is expected to be officially announced on Saturday, per standard NFL in-season procedure.

A third-quarter play had ended when Kelce and Tart were still battling, and Kelce pushed hard on Tart’s left arm to disentangle them. Tart took a step forward, then delivered a hard shot that caused Kelce’s head to snap backward.

Tart was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness, but he wasn’t ejected, likely because he had an open hand and not a fist when making contact.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid argued this week that Tart should have been ejected.

“I don’t understand that rule,” Reid said. “I guess it’s open-hand, fist, whatever, I don’t know. I don’t know what their decision was on that. But he definitely got hit in the head pretty hard, whether it was an open fist or a closed fist.”

Tart, 28, had one tackle in the game. He is in his sixth NFL season, his second with the Chargers. In 65 career games (37 starts), he has 3.5 sacks, 109 tackles, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and 11 passed defensed.

–Field Level Media

Jul 22, 2025; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) laughs with tight end Travis Kelce (87) during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce on engagement: ‘I got one more ring’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Travis Kelce delivered his best voice impression of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and discussed being off the market as an engaged man following a light workout in Sao Paulo before the Chiefs open the season Friday night.

Kelce said his life has changed in some ways since he began dating Taylor Swift.

“I got one more ring from it,” Kelce said, drawing laughter from the atypical press conference audience. “Ever since I’ve been dating Taylor, life has been fun. It’s been exciting. Obviously a lot more eyes and I accept that. But I’m living life, living on a high.”

Mahomes, seated to Kelce’s right, interjected: “It’s a dream.”

Kelce turns 36 next month and returned for the 2025 season after admitting he has contemplated retirement. Partially motivated to have a better season than 2024, Kelce reported to training camp in peak condition for his 12th season, all with the Chiefs.

Asked Thursday in Brazil if this season is the “last dance,” Kelce responded with questions of his own.

“For who? For me?,” Kelce asked. “Man it’s the last one on the contract right now. But I’ll tell you what, I’m feeling young and I’m ready to ride.”

Kelce has 90-plus receptions in seven consecutive seasons and 1,004 catches for 12,151 yards and 77 touchdowns in 175 regular-season games. With 97 career TD receptions, including the playoffs, Kelce is three away from becoming the fourth tight end in NFL history with 100 career touchdown receptions. Pro Football Hall of Famers Antonio Gates (118) and Tony Gonzalez (115) and Rob Gronkowski (107) are the others.

–Field Level Media

Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes will try to win their fourth Super Bowl championship together on Sunday.

Chiefs GM expects TE Travis Kelce to play in 2025: ‘He was fired up’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

INDIANAPOLIS — About four minutes apart, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and Kansas City head coach Andy Reid gave slightly different views of where the franchise stands with tight end Travis Kelce. They agreed on one point: There is no deadline for his decision about playing in 2025.

“We did have a chance to talk before they left,” Reid said Tuesday just before the noon hour of the status of Kelce. “That’s up to Travis. At this point, it’s ‘Get out of town. They’ve played a lot of football here. So, step back, then we’ll talk.’”

Kelce was reportedly given a deadline of March 14, one day before an $11.5 million roster bonus is due to trigger in the final year of his contract. But Veach said adamantly, “There is no deadline.”

Veach said he expects Kelce to play after their most recent conversation.

“He was fired up about being here,” Veach said. “He has one more year under contract. We left it at he’d be back and we’re excited to have him back. As far as I’m concerned, there is no deadline.”

Kelce, 35, said earlier this month he was weighing his future in the wake of the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Kelce wound up with four catches for 39 yards.

“I know everybody wants to know whether I’m playing next year and right now, I’m just kicking everything down the road. I’m kicking every can I can down the road. I’m not making any crazy decisions,” Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast.

A four-time first-team All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowl choice through 12 NFL seasons, Kelce would carry a $19.8 million cap hit in 2025.

Kelce made 97 receptions for 823 yards in the 2024 regular season, his lowest yardage total since 2014. He posted seven consecutive 1,000-yard years from 2016-22.

–Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) reacts on the field after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Travis Kelce sets Super Bowl catches record, but will he return to Chiefs?

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Travis Kelce set the Super Bowl record for most career receptions, but now the focus is on whether he will catch any more passes.

The longtime star tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs is no sure thing to return to the club in 2025 as retirement talk has hung in the air most of this season.

Kelce’s four receptions in the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday lifted his Super Bowl total to 35, two ahead of legendary Jerry Rice. Kelce caught four passes for 39 yards against the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes hopes Kelce returns for a 12th full NFL season.

“I know he still has love for the game,” Mahomes said. “He’ll get time to spend with his family and make that decision on his own. He’ll be welcomed back here with open arms.”

The Chiefs brass reportedly isn’t confident that Kelce will return.

Kelce didn’t address his future after the stunning setback, and he was far from upbeat.

“You don’t lose bad without everything going bad,” Kelce said.

Kelce ranks second in Super Bowl history with 389 receiving yards and passed Lynn Swann and Rob Gronkowski (364 apiece) on Sunday. Rice holds the record of 589 yards.

A 10-time Pro Bowl selection, Kelce had career lows of 823 receiving yards, three touchdowns and 8.5 yards per receptions this season. He did catch 97 passes, narrowly missing his fourth 100-reception season.

Kelce’s brother, Jason, retired after last season. He was a star center for the Eagles for 13 seasons.

Travis Kelce’s level of celebrity has risen during his relationship to singer Taylor Swift. But not only did the Chiefs lose badly Sunday, Swift received many more boos than cheers when she was displayed on the Jumbotron inside the Superdome.

–Field Level Media

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Recording artist Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) react after the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Chiefs notebook: Travis Kelce admires Taylor Swift’s work ethic

Posted on | by Field Level Media

NEW ORLEANS — As the cameras pan around the Caesars Superdome on Sunday during Super Bowl LIX, they’re sure to find Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce’s girlfriend and one of his biggest supporters.

Swift, one of the world’s biggest music stars, is famous for putting on an entertaining show during her lengthy tour schedule.

When asked Thursday if he could take anything from Swift’s work ethic, the Kansas City Chiefs star tight end said he had plenty to admire.

“What I saw on that (Eras Tour) last year was pretty remarkable,” Kelce said. “To see the week in, week out, traveling from one country to the next, how excruciating it is on her body and on her mind, and it’s not just her, it was her entire tour. It was the dancers, it was the band, the singers, it was everybody involved.

“It was an absolute machine, and it was something I could admire watching, and I think about it all the time.”

The noise of fame surrounding Swift, as well as Kelce’s dabblings in entertainment (such as his podcast with brother Jason as well as some acting) are things that Kelce has managed well, as pointed out by his teammates and coaches.

What is his secret?

“My balance is you’ve got to take yourself out of the media world, and it’s a reality whenever you’re not doing media,” Kelce said. “What’s real is the people around you, your loved ones, your family, your support system. Who are you to them, and how is that affecting your life?”

–Safety Justin Reid is one of the few Chiefs with connections to the New Orleans area, having gone to school down the road at Dutchtown High in Geismar, La.

“It’s a cool feeling, because you grew up (in the area) talking about two things: playing in the Superdome and playing in the Super Bowl,” he said, “and I get to do both of them right now.”

Reid’s older brother Eric, an LSU product, never played in the Super Bowl but did play in the Superdome as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

The younger Reid, who joined the Chiefs for the start of their current Super Bowl run at the start of the 2022 season, vividly remembers coming to the Superdome to support his older brother.

“We grew up as Saints fans, but we never actually got to make it to any Saints games,” Reid said. “My first time actually going to the Superdome was when Eric was already in the league playing for the 49ers. So, I was in the Superdome wearing red, same as I am this coming Sunday.

“But I do remember when New Orleans won the Super Bowl (in February 2010), Drew Brees, and how the whole city just exploded in that moment. That’s a core memory for me.”

–Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins joined the Chiefs in a midseason trade from the Tennessee Titans, and he spoke Thursday about his appreciation for his first Super Bowl opportunity and the Chiefs’ commitment toward involving multiple offensive players.

“It’s beautiful. That’s why we win,” Hopkins said. “I’ve been on offenses before where there is a No. 1 receiver, and I’ve been that No. 1 receiver, and not having won, and it’s funny, because my grandfather and I would always watch football, and we’re like, ‘Most Super Bowl teams don’t have just one guy that they get the ball to, but they spread it around,’ and that’s a reason these guys are here.”

The Chiefs’ offensive ability to spread the ball around might call to mind memories of one of Hopkins’ favorite Super Bowl memories, that of the high-flying St. Louis Rams and their “greatest show on turf.”

“My first Super Bowl memory is of the Rams, when the Rams had the greatest show on turf,” Hopkins said. “I watched that game, and I was like, ‘Man, these dudes are pretty good.’”

–David Gladow, Field Level Media

Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs with the ball during the second half against Houston Texans in a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Laterals and ‘Corn Dogs’: Chiefs gain an edge from creative offense

Posted on | by Field Level Media

NEW ORLEANS — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has said he’s dreamed about tossing a lateral to win the Super Bowl.

It’s not that far-fetched an idea.

In a Week 5 win over the New Orleans Saints, Kelce caught a pass over the middle well short of the yardage to gain on third-and-22. Instead of settling for a short gain, Kelce found teammate Samaje Perine running a few yards behind the play and pitched it to him, and Perine, with the better angle, bolted for the sticks, setting up a fourth-and-short.

It sounds simple in practice. It looked anything but in real time.

That play wasn’t scripted, but it was practiced, in that the players around Kelce have learned how to approach those situations and be ready for the ball.

“I’m very aware,” Perine said. “You’ve always got to be prepared for it. If you’re behind him, then look for the pitch. If you’re in front of him, then block.”

It’s that level of offensive creativity that permeates the entire Kansas City offense, and it will be something the Philadelphia Eagles will have to contend with in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.

“It’s great to have Patrick Mahomes,” head coach Andy Reid quipped. “He’ll be one of the greats, if not the greatest to have done it.

“I don’t want to slight the coaches or his teammates. He has some good players he’s able to deal the ball to, big offensive linemen that are helping them out … it takes a group.”

Part of what makes that group particularly lethal is its ability to put defenses in bad positions quickly and efficiently.

On another play perhaps more painful for Eagles supporters, the Chiefs ran a version of “Corn Dog” to score a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII. On that play, wide receiver Kadarius Toney moved quickly in motion toward the line as if to run a sweep, a crossing route, or perhaps even to block, before spinning back 180 degrees to run a route toward the pylon instead just as Mahomes took the snap.

Toney popped free and Mahomes threw him the ball quickly for the score, showing off his propensity for creativity and his embrace of the quick game at the same time.

According to Next Gen Stats, Mahomes led the league in both completion percentage (83.6 percent) and success rate (60.9 percent) on quick passes this season. Over his last four games, he’s been even quicker than normal, averaging 2.5 seconds to throw (versus 2.87 seconds to throw in Weeks 1-15).

The Eagles’ defense has been strong against short passes this season, but Chiefs defenders, having had to go against Reid and co.’s machinations all season in practice, caution against getting overconfident about what you’re seeing.

To wit, the Chiefs’ commitment to offensive creativity is so ingrained that their head coach has been known to draw up plays on the fly in practice to put his defense on its heels.

“They try things a lot, they experiment to see if things stick,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said. “All through training camp, they’re playing around with formations, routes and just seeing what can work. I think that creativity is fun for the guys, it keeps it engaging, and every once in a while you actually find a good play out of it.”

“Training camp is honestly one of the hardest months of the whole season,” cornerback Trent McDuffie bemoaned. “One, you’ve got to battle Patrick Mahomes, you’ve got to play our fast receivers, and then Coach Reid will literally go draw a play in the dirt and they’ll run it against us. The things you see in training camp, you probably won’t see during the whole year, so it definitely makes it a challenge.”

The Chiefs’ defenders don’t envy the Eagles’ task this week, and much of it stems from their offense’s chemistry.

“Peanut butter and jelly,” Justin Reid said in describing the connection between Mahomes and Kelce. “These guys, the connection they have is real. The understanding of the game … but also their own connection and awareness that Travis will run routes, and if it’s not open they both understand what’s happening and he’ll be able to create something like backyard football and go out and make a play happen.”

“Their connection is unreal.”

–David Gladow, Field Level Media