The Kansas City Chiefs will have to decide if they want to bring back tight end Travis Kelce this offseason. If it were up to former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, Kelce would be playing on a different team next season.
Tannenbaum, a guest on the ESPN show “Get Up” on Monday morning, explained his position on why he would not re-sign Kelce.
“I wouldn’t do it,” Tannenbaum said. “When you’re in the front office and you’re a head coach, you have to make the honest and sober observation that you want to pay a player for what they’re going to do, not what they’ve done. He is slowing down.”
Last season, Kelce, 36, caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns. His 76 receptions were down from 97 when compared to the 2024 season.
Tannenbaum acknowledged the numbers were affected somewhat by quarterback Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL in the Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, but said Kelce was not putting up big numbers like some of the younger tight ends in the league.
“When you look at the best tight ends in the game right now, Trey McBride is 27, Brock Bowers is 25 and Sam LaPorta is 25,” Tannenbaum said. “There’s some really good tight ends in the draft like Kenyon Sadiq, Max Klare, Michael Trigg among others.”
“If I’m Kansas City, go get the next guy,” Tannenbaum continued. “Honor Travis Kelce for what he’s done, but go get the next young tight end and go take care of these other needs like tackle, running back and receiver.”
Kelce, a four-time All-Pro who has been named to the Pro Bowl 11 times, is a free agent. Speculation arose late last season that he could retire, but it appears he will return for a 14th season.