It’s safe to assume that a 6-10 record heading into the final week of the regular season and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014 was not what Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had in mind when he decided to return for his 13th NFL season back at the end of February.
But that’s exactly the situation Kelce finds himself in as he closes out what could be the final year of his future Hall of Fame career.
Kelce has outproduced his 2024 season. He’s logged 73 catches, 839 yards, and five touchdowns — the latter two are both more than he had last season — and he’s been the team’s most consistent and reliable pass-catcher this season.
Given the Chiefs’ fall from grace, and the fact that star quarterback Patrick Mahomes may miss a good chunk of the 2026 season after having ACL surgery, many believe this is Kelce’s last ride.
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If the All-Pro tight end does call it a career at the end of the season, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor believes the Chiefs should take the opportunity to hit the reset button.
“If Travis Kelce does, indeed, retire, this is an opportunity for this organization to rebuild,” Pryor said. “If I’m the Kansas City Chiefs, and really, if I’m other teams looking at the Kansas City Chiefs and they could have a pretty high draft pick, I’m thinking, ‘Gosh, this is the worst thing in the world’ because Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have covered up a lot of deficits for this team.
“At this point though, they have an opportunity to add with a fairly high draft pick, they could also move on from Jawaan Taylor in the offseason and save $20 million because at this point, they’re about $50 million over the cap. I think that the turnover that they could have is a good thing for the Chiefs.”
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It’s hard to fathom a team one year removed from its third straight Super Bowl appearance having a hard reset just one year later. But given the circumstances and uncertainty facing the team in 2026, Pryor’s suggestion doesn’t seem that far-fetched, especially if Mahomes misses half of the season or more.
Kansas City is currently projected to draft ninth overall — the highest the team will pick with its own first-rounder since 2012.
The Chiefs have multiple avenues they could explore in the draft. They could give Mahomes a top-flight running back and take Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, or they could grab Kelce’s immediate preplacement in Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
KC also has needs along the offensive line, at pass-rusher, and it could use another wide receiver to support Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy.
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