Andy Reid’s Travis Kelce comments are a warning to rest of NFL

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid admitted he is expecting a fully charged Travis Kelce for the 2025 NFL season after the tight end mooted retirement this offseason

Before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, the last time the Kansas City Chiefs lost in the NFL playoffs (in January 2022 to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals), they responded by winning consecutive titles.

Coach Andy Reid will be getting star tight end Travis Kelce back for another – and potentially final – season after the veteran announced he was putting retirement off. Kelce revealed the news publicly via his hit podcast ‘New Heights’ alongside his brother Jason.

Reid, speaking at the annual NFL owners’ meetings this week in Palm Beach, Florida, admitted had “wanted [Kelce] to put it out there and not me,” Reid said of his tight end’s decision.

The longtime Chiefs head coach then admitted Kelce is gearing up for another Super Bowl run. “I always like guys to step back (after the season), but he wants to come back and he’s training like crazy too,” Reid said.

Reid admitted Kelce told him he was coming back for another season less than a week after Kansas City lost Super Bowl LIX 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kelce was not at his best that day, hauling in four of his six targets for 39 yards. General Manager Brett Veach revealed that the future Pro Football Hall of Famer had played the game with an illness.

Kelce and Reid have captured three Super Bowl titles together ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

Last season also marked arguably the worst season of his 12-year professional career. Kelce caught 97 passes (the 12th most in the NFL) for 823 yards and three touchdowns.

Reid admitted the team can’t predict now how big his responsibilities will be just yet. “I’ll see when he comes back and see where he’s at,” the coach said. “He’s learning when to come out when he needs it.”

“We were banged up at the [receiver] positions, so that doesn’t help a tight end’s cause at all,” Reid added. “The healthier we can be around him, he can still be productive.”

Kelce can rely on a whole lot of football know-how in the absence of strong physical traits: he’s a 10-time Pro Bowler and member of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team.

He holds the record for both the most playoff receptions and most receiving yards in Chiefs history (having surpassed legendary tight end Tony Gonzalez a season ago). Kelce has appeared in three Super Bowls, resulting in three wins and two losses (both of which were blowouts)