Chiefs Confirm Kelce Is Returning

UPDATE Mar 11, 2026 5:45 PM CDT

The Kansas City Chiefs have confirmed that Travis Kelce is returning for another year. Under a one-year deal made official Wednesday, the veteran tight end, who recently decided to delay retirement for another year, will receive $12 million for his 14th season with the team, with incentives possibly pushing the figure to $15 million, the AP reports. "My best opportunity was playing for the Chiefs yet again and running this thing back," the 36-year-old said Tuesday. "There's a lot of pieces in Kansas City that I just absolutely love and I can't wait to get back in the building with them."

• Kelce also said fiancée Taylor Swift influenced his decision, ESPN reports. "We share the same love for what we do, and fortunately we've had this desire since we were kids in our selective professions," Kelce said. "It's amazing to see her keep going to the table, keep finding new things to write about, keep finding new melodies and, on top of that, still seeing her have that love and joy in what she does," he said. "Something like that definitely motivates me to say, 'You know what, I'm not done, either.' I've still got some ideas in the back of my mind and still got some juice left to play this game."

Mar 9, 2026 1:54 PM CDT

It looks like Taylor Swift's fiance will keep his day job for another year. ESPN and the NFL Network are reporting that Travis Kelce will return to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 14th season. An earlier report in the Athletic agreed that the 37-year-old would return to play another year rather than retire, but it was less certain that he would be back with the Chiefs. Nothing is confirmed, but ESPN says Kelce informed the team he will indeed be back in Kansas City.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach recently said the team has "prepared for either scenario" and described ongoing "good dialogue" with the veteran's representatives. Kelce is an 11-time Pro Bowler who has played his entire career with KC. The Athletic notes that while he's lost some speed over the years, he still finished fourth among tight ends last season with 851 receiving yards.