Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach gave an honest take on tight end Travis Kelce's future with the franchise after he mulled retirement this offseason.

“We’ve all seen it over the last few years,” Veach told ESPN. “There are periods throughout the season where you’re like, ‘This might be it.’ But when the games are the most important and the lights are the brightest, he finds it somewhere.”

Kelce, 35, recorded 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns in 2024 and is facing an even brighter spotlight beyond football due to his relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift. The future Hall of Famer also had a disappointing performance during the Chiefs' 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, recording four receptions for 39 yards, which he said played a key role in his decision.

“It’s similar to all the decisions I make. It’s off of feel,” Kelce said on his New Heights podcast earlier this year. “I’m not a big measure the pros and cons, pure gut feeling. I f–king love this game and I love going into the building with the guys that are there.

“Coach [Andy] Reid has been one of the biggest influences on my life, not just in the game of football. And I don’t want to stop going to work with him. I don’t want to stop learning from him, I don’t want to stop being a part of the reasons he has success. I want that guy to have the most success in the world because of who he’s been in my life.

“… There are so many people in that building that I love with all my heart man. I want to keep living out those dreams and going to work with them. I never once kind of second-guessed it. Even when it got tough last year on the body or after the Super Bowl and you’re at your all-time low, there is something in a motivating factor that you want to do this. I pulled the trigger as soon as I knew I had that feeling.”

Kelce will return for his 13th NFL season months removed from the Chiefs falling short of what would've been the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history, having won three of the last five.

Abby Bonell