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January football has become routine for the Kansas City Chiefs, with the team’s seasons regularly stretching into early February. But a 6-11 finish in the 2025 season meant the Chiefs were on the outside looking in at the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
As the Chiefs’ offseason got off to an earlier-than-normal start, Patrick Mahomes’ season-ending ACL injury and the uncertainty swirling around Travis Kelce’s future are being closely watched in Kansas City.
The 2025 season marked Kelce’s 13th year in the league. Last summer, the 11-time Pro Bowler fended off questions about whether he would return to the Chiefs, and those concerns are likely to resurface in the months leading up to training camp. But, Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt is confident the 36-year-old tight end can continue to be a productive NFL player.
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Super Bowl LIV: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates with team owner Clark Hunt after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Simon Bruty /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
“Well as an organization, we certainly hope that he will come back,” Hunt told “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday.
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“He had another great year, maybe not on par with where he was four or five years ago, but still had over 800 yards, and was really one of the leaders on the offensive side of the ball for us. So there’s no doubt in my mind that he can still play. We’re trying to be respectful and let him have the time that he needs to make a decision.”
Kansas City Chiefs chairman and chief executive officer Clark Hunt looks on before a 2025 AFC divisional round game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 18, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/ Imagn Images)
Hunt acknowledged Kelce’s personal commitments this offseason and said the organization will allow him a while to reach a decision about his football future.
“He has sort of a busy offseason coming up with his engagement and marriage, so we want to be respectful and give him the time he needs to make a decision. But we certainly hope that he’ll be back.”
Kelce finished the 2025 regular season with 851 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He was drafted in 2013, but a preseason knee injury sidelined him for nearly his entire rookie season aside from limited action on special teams. The 2023 season broke Kelce’s streak of seven consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce waves to the crowd after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
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If Kelce does come back, all signs point to Mahomes once again throwing him the ball. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has expressed confidence in the quarterback’s mindset regarding his rehab approach.
“He’ll attack it, just like he does everything else,” Reid said of Mahomes’ upcoming rehab. “There have been some pretty good quarterbacks who have had the same injury, and they’ve done pretty well after they came back. He’ll get after it, and he’s got good people here to rehab him. He’ll be right on top of all of that.
“As long as the surgery goes well, as expected, then I would expect a fairly quick recovery for him just because of those factors.”
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