Will Travis Kelce play in the final three games for the Kansas City Chiefs? The star tight end shared his answer on Friday.
Travis Kelce’s Status for the Rest of the 2025 Season
Did Kelce play his final game for the Chiefs in the team’s Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers?
The answer is no.
Kelce is scheduled to play in Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
For the first time since 2014, the Chiefs will not be in the postseason. To make matters worse, Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending knee injury in the loss to the Chargers.
With Mahomes out and the Chiefs having nothing to gain, all eyes are on Kelce and his status for next season. Will he retire this offseason, or will he play in 2026?
For now, Kelce is worried about finishing these final three games.
“I’d rather keep the focus of the media and everything on this team right now,” Kelce said to the media. “All the conversations I have with the team and everything moving forward will be with them. I think it’s a unique time in my life. Unfortunately, I’ve got three games left, and I know when the season ends this year. Typically, we go into it, and we don’t know when it’s going to end, and that’s the beauty of it. Just trying to make sure that everybody here knows that I’m focused on trying to win football games, these last three games.”
“Oh man, that’s crazy,” Kelce added when asked if last Sunday’s game was his last with Mahomes.
Will Travis Kelce Retire?
Travis Kelce on whether it crossed his mind that it could’ve been his last game with Patrick Mahomes: “I’m just focused on winning football games.” #Chiefs #Chiefskingdom pic.twitter.com/vsR3iP2y56
— Taylor Burr (@TaylorBurr10) December 19, 2025
The Chiefs have significant questions they must address this offseason. One of these issues will be decided by Kelce, who plans to announce his status for the 2026 season before NFL free agency begins in early March.
Retirement is definitely on the table for the 36-year-old tight end.
If Kelce wants to come back, he remains an effective tight end. Kelce is second among tight ends in receiving yards (797) to go along with 67 receptions and five touchdowns.
Kelce is a free agent this offseason, so he would need to sign a new contract to return to the Chiefs.
If this is the end for Kelce, he plans to give it all he has these final three games.
“I signed up to be a Chief, and I love doing what I do,” Kelce said. “I know I’ve been dreaming of being in these moments and playing for an NFL team since I was a kid. Getting back to that will give you more motivation than you could ever need. That’s just how you need to go about work, whether you’re in the [playoff] race or not. I’m going to make sure these guys know I’m out there giving them everything I got.”
