Travis Kelce Reveals When He Knew He Was Going to Return to the Chiefs
Travis Kelce Reveals When He Knew He Was Going to Return to the Chiefs
Rachel McRadyWed, March 11, 2026 at 4:19 PM UTC
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Travis Kelce plays at AT&T Stadium in Nov. 2025.Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty -
Travis Kelce revealed when he decided to return to the Chiefs
The Kansas City team missed the playoffs in 2025, fueling Kelce’s determination to return and aim for another Super Bowl win
Kelce credited Taylor Swift’s shared passion for their careers as an inspiration for his decision to keep playing
Travis Kelce may have kept Kansas City Chiefs fans in suspense, but the 36-year-old tight end recently shared that he’s known he wasn’t planning to retire this year for quite some time.
On the Wednesday, March 11 episode of his and brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, Taylor Swift’s fiancée got candid about his thoughts surrounding his decision to return for a 14th year with the Chiefs.
After brother Jason asked him at what point he knew he intended to come back, Travis said, “About midway through the season.”
The comment caused the former Philadelphia Eagles center to burst out laughing before asking his younger brother, “So what were you waiting on then?”
“You know, I was taking Jason Kelce’s advice. I was taking the advice to take a step back,” Travis explained. “You gotta let the emotions clear and you gotta have a clear head. I’ve made decisions based off of emotions and, you know, they haven’t always played out the right way. So I think taking a step back letting the emotions settle down, the frustrations from the season.”
Travis Kelce grins on the field at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 27, 2025.Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty
The Chiefs had a challenging 2025 season, failing to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, and after making it to the Super Bowl for three years straight.
“Of course I want to come back,” Travis added. “Of course I don’t want to end my career not making the playoffs and not having one of the best years. It still felt like I was hungry enough to get back at it.”
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And while he didn’t want emotion to dictate his decision, Travis added that his passion and frustrations over last season are fueling him moving forward.
“Obviously, there’s still a little bit of that grit and that emotion. I f---ing hated the way that s--- ended last year. I wanna make it right. I wanna get another chance at another f---ing Super Bowl.”
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After months of speculation, Travis officially confirmed he intended to return to the Chiefs for a 14th season on The Pat McAfee Show on March 10.
Travis Kelce plays at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025.Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty
"I still love going to work, putting on the pads, grinding it out and just playing the game, you know, and I think my best opportunity was playing for the Chiefs yet again and running this thing back with Pat Mahomes and Coach [Andy] Reid,” Travis said at the time. “There’s a lot of pieces in Kansas City that I just I absolutely love and I can't wait to get back in the building with.”
He also credited Swift with inspiring his return, saying, “We share the same love for what we do, and we've had this...desire.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
