Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Kansas City Chiefs are making moves in the NFL offseason, and one shows what they think of Travis Kelce.
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs have made it official that they’re back together for the 2026-27 season. But, what do the Chiefs really think about the future of Kelce with the franchise?
On Wednesday, March 11, the Kansas City Chiefs officially announced that Kelce would return to the team for the 2026-27 season, sharing a post on social media with a clip of No. 87 returning. stating, “Like he never left.”
Now, Kelce has the chance to go out on top, if this ends up being his final season with the team. For the Chiefs’ 2025-26 season, the team had a dismal 6-11 record and no trip to the Super Bowl, so they’re hoping 2026-27 is much better.
But, the Chiefs’ moves as they prepare for the 2026 NFL draft shows something interesting about their views on Kelce. It mainly shows how long they think he’ll stay around the franchise.
Kansas City Chiefs Looking at Plenty of Replacements for Tight End Travis Kelce
As they gear up for the NFL draft, which takes place in April, the Kansas City Chiefs are looking strongly at tight ends. That’s a sign that they think Kelce’s future with the franchise is limited.
In a Thursday, March 26 feature for Arrowhead Addict, Matt Conner notes that the “Chiefs are spending time with some of the better tight end prospects in this year’s draft class.”
Conner points out that the Chiefs have been actively visiting with tight end prospects ahead of the draft, including Georgia’s Oscar Delp and N.C. State’s Justin Joly.
“For the Chiefs to be able to add a productive pass catcher at tight end while Kelce is still around would be a significant boost to his learning curve,” Conner noted. He also says that it’s “possible that Kelce looks older and the rest of the position looks uninspired in ’26,” so these selections are a “good way for the offense to protect itself against those concerns while gaining upside for the long term.”
So, the Chiefs may think Kelce isn’t in it for the long haul, and that totally makes sense. Ideally, he’ll go out on top this season.
Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce Contract Details
On Monday, March 23, NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared specific details about Kelce’s contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Chiefs Pro Bowl TE Travis Kelce has signed his contract, officially locking him in for 2026. It’s a 3-year, $54.735M deal that can be worth up to $57.735M ($18.245M average) done by agent Mike Simon (@mikevmgsports) of @milkhoneysport,” Rapoport stated on X. He added that year one is a $12 million dollar deal with $3 million in incentives.
So, if anything, this shows that that if Kelce plays for more than one more year in the NFL, he’ll stay with the Kansas City Chiefs. Before Kelce and the Chiefs had their agreement, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic released a report stating that Kelce was looking outside the Chiefs for a 2026-27 run.
“Based on conversations with several teams, TE Travis Kelce appears motivated to return to play a 14th season,” she said in a post on X. “The Chiefs remain very much in the mix to re-sign the three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro.”