Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce opted to return for the 2025 season rather than head off to retirement, then showed that he still has plenty left in the tank.
Kelce has 59 catches for 719 yards and five touchdowns, on pace for one of his best scoring seasons, and has been among the league’s best pass-catchers in yards after catch. But that role has raised concern among one insider who sees a potentially dire sign for the team’s future once Kelce is gone.
Chiefs Lean Heavily on Travis Kelce
Though Kelce has been a major piece of Kansas City’s sustained dynasty and three Super Bowl wins, his production this season is raising some concerns. SI.com writer Dominic Minchella suggested that the team’s younger receivers should be stepping up to begin replacing Kelce’s production as he nears retirement.
“At the end of the season, Kelce will need to decide whether or not he will be returning to the Chiefs in 2026. With that question mark hanging over the head of the organization, it’s both a blessing and a curse that the veteran contemplating retirement is still leading the Chiefs in a very important offensive category,” Minchella wrote, referring to his prowess in racking up yards after the catch.
Minchella noted that the Chiefs have only one other player in the top 20 in the league when it comes to yards after the catch, with Rashee Rice ranked No. 18.
“Yes, it’s nice for the nostalgia aspect that a legend of the game has continued to find his stride in the offense and continues to keep up with some of the league’s best,” Minchella wrote. “But, it is a tad concerning that the likes of Rashee Rice or Xavier Worthy aren’t in his position, considering they’re ‘the future’ of the franchise.”
Travis Kelce Faces Rare Outcome
The Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys dropped the Chiefs to 6-6, which put them at 10th place in the AFC after the rest of the games that weekend concluded. They now sit two full games out of a playoff spot and have missed out on tiebreakers with two of the teams ahead of them.
If the Chiefs don’t turn their season around quickly, it would put Kelce at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time since his second season in the NFL in 2014.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said the team will likely need to run the table over their final five games to have a chance of making the postseason.
“We’re going to play a lot of good teams coming up,” Mahomes said. “If we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to win them all. That’s got to be the mindset when we step into the [team facility] when we get back.”
Mahomes added that he still has confidence in his team, but they need to start playing to their standards.
“We can beat anybody, but we’ve shown that we can lose to anybody,” Mahomes said. “We’ve got to be more consistent. We’ve had big plays and we’ve had runs where we can really score at any time, but we’ve got to be consistent for four quarters, especially when you play good teams and they have a good offense.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Chiefs Face ‘Concern’ Over Travis Kelce’s Role as Retirement Looms appeared first on Heavy Sports.