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Returning to the Chiefs for his 13th NFL season was an easy call for Travis Kelce.
The star tight end, who was at the center of retirement buzz earlier this year, told the media Wednesday he feels he’s “got a lot” more to prove following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl flop to the Eagles in February.
“I love football. I don’t think I really thought about it that much. My friends and family and the team and the guys and women in this building, I love coming into work every single day. It wasn’t a very tough one for me. I know I’m getting older, but at the same time, I still feel like I got a lot that I can prove in this league … It really wasn’t that hard of a decision for me,” said Kelce, who turns 36 in October.
A three-time Super Bowl champ and 10-time Pro Bowler, Kelce is coming off a statistically down year in which he tallied 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns, compared to 984 yards and five scores in 2023.
It marked the second straight season he failed to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards — a milestone he had reached seven consecutive times beginning in 2016.
With his quiet production, pundits speculated Kelce’s heart was elsewhere, as he took on opportunities outside football, such as hosting Amazon’s “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity.”
His profile also reached new heights as his relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift intensified.
In the wake of the Chiefs’ blowout Super Bowl 2025 loss, in which Kelce caught just four passes for 39 yards in the 40-22 defeat, the All-Pro tight end vowed to return with vengeance.
“I’m coming back, for sure,” Kelce told Pat McAfee in a text that was read on the ESPN star’s self-titled program in late February.
“Gonna try and get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”
Kelce, rumored to have dropped 25 pounds this offseason, also addressed the chatter surrounding his reported weight loss Wednesday.
“First of all, I never said that,” Kelce said, per E! News. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
Kelce trained in Florida this offseason and was joined by Swift, 35, who wrapped her global Eras Tour last December after nearly two years on the road.
The couple, who have been dating since 2023, stepped out for a Stanley Cup date night last week before the Panthers were crowned champions over the Oilers again on Tuesday.
Kelce and the Chiefs open the season on Friday, Sept. 5 in São Paulo, Brazil, against the Chargers.
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