The Kansas City Chiefs lost the last Super Bowl in devastating fashion. However, as Patrick Mahomes and his teammates were looking to bounce back, Travis Kelce was contemplating retirement. In the end, the tight end decided to come back for another season, but a teammate has come out stating that he was concerned about Kelce’s status.
Rashee Rice, wide receiver for the Chiefs, attended a youth football camp in Houston, Texas. There, he admitted being really concerned at the possibility of seeing the mighty 87 retire. “Yeah, I was real concerned, not gonna lie,” he stated. “That’s Trav, but that’s like me getting hurt last year. It’s like kind of a wake-up call. I really wanted him to come back.“
While Kelce had his worst statistical season since 2013, Rice saw his NFL season cut short by a knee injury, playing only 4 games. This meant the Chiefs had to deal with not having their best receiver and with the natural decline of a now-35-year-old Kelce.
Rashee Rice is poised to be the Chiefs top receiver
The Chiefs did end with a 15-2 record and going to the Super Bowl. However, not having Rice really harmed their offense. The SMU alumn had 938 yards and 7 touchdowns in his rookie season. In 2025, he was averaging a career-high 72 yards per game, meaning that Mahomes was trusting him with more volume per game.
Rashee Rice #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs prepares for a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.
Not only that, Rice was absolutely killing defenses, as he caught 24 of 29 targets, being as safe as a receiver can be for Mahomes. Andy Reid was also drawing up plays all over the field for Rice. Without him, the Chiefs had to improvise, and even if they had success, they missed that reliability.
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Travis Kelce is back for now, not for long
Even if the future Hall of Famer announced that he will return to the gridiron for one more season, it’s most likely his last dance. Kelce’s past two seasons were below the 1,000-yard mark. This after achieving the milestone in seven years straight. His yards per reception and yards after catch also declined heavily.
An otherwise unstoppable target, Kelce is looking more and more human. Kelce was recently seen in an NHL Stanley Cup finals game. That doesn’t mean he is not training hard. Reports say he is getting lean to recover some mobility and explosiveness. If Kelce is back in great shape and Rice is healthy, the Chiefs offense will once again be one to watch.
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