Chiefs TE Travis Kelce
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Not many are too fond of the Chiefs moving on from TE Travis Kelce.
Despite recently restructuring the contract of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs have more work to do. It’ll take more than that to get under the salary cap. Several tough decisions will soon be made, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
The uncertain future of tight end Travis Kelce complicates that even more. Will the legendary pass catcher return for the 2026-27 season? The jury is still out.
According to one ESPN analyst and former NFL front office executive, the team shouldn’t give him much of a choice.
Analyst Campaigns for Chiefs to End Travis Kelce Era, Chris Jones Responds
In a recent segment on “SportsCenter,” former general manager Mike Tannenbaum made a shocking argument. He thinks the Chiefs should end the Kelce era and opt for fresh blood at tight end.
“I would move on from Travis Kelce, and let me tell you why,” Tannenbaum began. “When you’re in the front office, you have to project what a player is going to do, not what they’ve done. I’ve made that mistake countless times in my career. Travis Kelce is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but when you watch him and make an honest and sober evaluation of his 2025 performance, clearly his best days are behind him.
“You talk about their lack of explosive plays. If I was Kansas City, I would make the right — albeit difficult — decision to move on from Travis Kelce. Try to get younger, faster, and more explosive at the tight end position.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones got wind of the tweet, quoting it with a brief thought of his own. He thinks Tannenbaum should keep that opinion to himself.
It’s certainly something not many folks in Kansas City want to hear. Considering all Kelce has accomplished at an individual level and helped the team do as a group, it’d be strange seeing him don another uniform or be forced into retirement. Jones has made it clear he wants Kelce back for next season.
Assessing Kelce’s Value to Kansas City in 2026-27 Season if He Returns
If Kelce does return for one last dance to extend his career, what could that look like? He’s currently slated to become a free agent this March. Projections for what a one-year deal could resemble are similar.
On the low end, The Athletic pegs him as being worth or earning $10 million. Spotrac is right in that neighborhood at $10.8M. Over The Cap‘s valuation sits at $13.6M. Each of those marks would put Kelce outside the top five for tight ends in annual pay. A hometown discount could be in the cards, which would help the Chiefs given their financial limitations.
The second question would be how much Kelce has left to offer on the field. Although he didn’t totally return to form this past season, it was undoubtedly better than a poor 2024-25 effort that saw him muster all of 823 receiving yards. Kelce managed to log 851 in 2025-26, doing so on 21 fewer catches and 25 fewer targets.
More advanced measurements also reflected a better version of Kelce in his age-36 campaign. His 11.2 yards per reception, for example, were his most since 2022. The same can be said for his 11.1 yards per touch. The future Hall of Fame man averaged 5.6 yards after contact per reception, tied for the third-highest figure of his illustrious career. Per SumerSports, among tight ends with 100+ routes run, he placed third in total EPA (71.19) despite being ninth in that group in target share.
Even in his older age, Kelce can still help the Chiefs’ offense. If he wants to return, despite what Tannenbaum believes, it seems smart to allow him to do so.