One of the lingering questions surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 season was whether or not the campaign would mark star tight end Travis Kelce’s final season in the NFL. Kelce is far from the youngest tight end in the league at 35 years old, and he’s also played 12 seasons in the NFL.
However, some time after Kansas City’s crushing Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in February, Kelce revealed that he’s not done playing professional football just yet, opting to return to the Chiefs for at least another season.
Plenty of Chiefs fans blew a sigh of relief upon hearing the news, and it seems as if Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice might have done the same. He admitted recently that he was “real concerned” regarding the uncertainty over Kelce’s future in the NFL.
After the Chiefs last Super Bowl loss, there were questions on if future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce would retire.
Caught up with Rashee Rice at a local Houston football camp who is happy to have his tight end back.
“I was real concerned, I ain’t gon lie. That’s Trav!” pic.twitter.com/t1ywdPr3Jq
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) June 14, 2025
The Chiefs lost to the Eagles by a final score of 40-22 on the NFL’s biggest stage in February, and Kelce didn’t play at the top of his game with so much on the line. He ended up with just 39 receiving yards on four receptions and six targets.
Kelce’s 2024 campaign was nothing to sneeze at overall, though, as across 16 regular-season contests with the Chiefs, he racked up 823 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns and 47 first downs receiving. He earned the 10th Pro Bowl selection of his pro career in addition.
Kelce and the Chiefs could have made NFL history with a win in that Super Bowl. A victory for the Chiefs would have marked their third consecutive Super Bowl title, and no team in league history has done that in the Super Bowl era. Not even the New England Patriots accomplished such a feat during the days when quarterback Tom Brady was lighting up opposing defenses.
The Chiefs and Kelce came up short of their ultimate goal last season, but they project to have a real chance to compete for a Super Bowl when the 2025 NFL season commences. After all, Kansas City has a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball and is led by none other than quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who might already be one of the best players at his position in league history.
