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As the days draw closer to the official start of the 2026 NFL season, Travis Kelce’s status with the Kansas City Chiefs remains a hot topic.
Kelce has said he will let the Chiefs know if he will play in 2026 in the new league year to allow general manager Brett Veach and the rest of the franchise to make moves for the rest of the roster.
While speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Veach was asked if he had heard from Kelce yet.
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Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
“Travis is the best,” Veach said, according to the New York Post. “He’s an icon… We’ll let that process play out.”
Owner Clark Hunt also commented on Kelce earlier this offseason, saying the Chiefs would be respectful considering his personal agenda with fiancée Taylor Swift.
“He has a busy offseason with his engagement and marriage, so we want to be respectful and give him the time he needs to make a decision,” Hunt said in January. “But we certainly hope he comes back.”
The new league year begins on March 11, when free agency officially opens at 4 p.m. However, the legal tampering period will begin at noon ET on March 9, when teams can agree to the terms of free agent contracts with players.
Kelce is not under contract with the Chiefs, meaning the team would have to negotiate a new deal for him if he wants to return.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce walks off the field after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Retirement has been a conversation surrounding the future Hall of Fame tight end for a few years now, but it has come back each time. He may have hinted he would do the same during an episode of the “New Heights” podcast in which he discussed the team’s reunion with Eric Bieniemy, who will once again serve under head coach Andy Reid as offensive coordinator.
“I can’t wait to see him back in the building, man,” Kelce told his older brother, Jason. “He’s one of my favorite coaches of all time, one of my favorite people of all time. I’ve had so many amazing moments with him as a player, as a person and I just love him.”
Did Kelce mean he couldn’t wait to see Bieniemy inside the building working together or outside looking in?
However, it should come as no surprise that the Chiefs want their star tight end back in the building for one more trip, especially after a disappointing 2025 season in which Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL late in the season.
General manager Brett Veach of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014 after finishing 6-11.
However, Veach has more to worry about than Kelce this offseason, as Kansas City finds itself in intriguing but uncharted territory with a top-10 NFL Draft pick (No. 9). There has been speculation that another reunion could be in the works after the Miami Dolphins released Tyreek Hill.
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