Travis Kelce kept Kansas City Chiefs fans waiting for weeks after Super Bowl LIX before announcing that he’d come back for the 2025 NFL season. Andy Reid, however, already knew about the player’s decision.
Speaking to the media at the NFL’s annual meeting on Monday, Reid revealed that Kelce told him less than a week after the Super Bowl loss that he wouldn’t retire from football yet. And the coach also warned that the tight end is locked in this offseason.
“I just wanted him to put it out there and not me” Reid explained, via The Athletic. “I always like guys to step back (after the season), but he wants to come back and he’s training like crazy too.“
Reid warns about Kelce’s talent after challenging season
2024 wasn’t easy for Kelce, who had one of his worst seasons in the NFL, statistically speaking. Last year, he recorded career-lows in receiving yards (823) and touchdowns (3)―excluding his rookie year, where he made just one appearance.
Head coach Andy Reid and Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs look on during the second quarter of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kelce was targeted 97 times though, a number he only surpassed in 2018, 2020, and 2022. According to Reid, the decrease in the tight end’s production had to do with the number of injuries the Chiefs suffered in offense in 2024, warning that Travis can still be impactful in the league.
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“I didn’t think that was an issue this year, but I thought we were banged up at the outside positions and that doesn’t help a tight end’s cause at all. I just think the healthier we can be around him – he can still be productive,” Reid said.
Reid sees a motivated Kelce for 2025
Injuries haunted the Chiefs’ offense from the get-go in 2024, with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown sustaining a preseason injury before the likes of Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice were also sidelined.
Reid believes that a healthy group is all that Kelce needs to continue thriving at this point of his career. The tight end, who is coming back for a 13th NFL season, will turn 36 in October. The Chiefs head coach, however, sees him as motivated as ever.
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“He’s willing. He’s learning when to come out, so he’ll get himself out of the game when he needs it. And I think that’ll just continue with age,” Reid added.
