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Why K.C. still expects the best from Travis Kelce

  • Adam TeicherJul 4, 2025, 06:00 AM ET

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      Adam Teicher has covered the Kansas City Chiefs for more than 30 seasons. He joined ESPN in 2013 for the launch of NFL Nation.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce ended the 2024 NFL season with career lows in yards and touchdowns — 823 and three, respectively. He looked like he might be nearing the end of one of the greatest tight end careers in NFL history. At 35 years old, an advanced age for his position, he often looked average on the field — other than a vintage Kelce stretch of games during the middle of the season.

Then he caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in the Kansas City Chiefs’ divisional playoff win over the Houston Texans, single-handedly dragging an otherwise lethargic passing game into the AFC Championship Game.

“We’ve all seen it over the last few years,” general manager Brett Veach said. “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.”

With Kelce turning 36 in October, the Chiefs expect that in 2025 he will still be the player they know well.

“The great ones know how to find it,” Veach said. “They know where it’s buried, and they know how to access it. And they can’t access it at that age week in and week out, but when they need it, they know how to find it.”

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“I always watch him. I always keep an eye on him. I know he’s getting older. He doesn’t know he’s getting older, but I do. I can be the bad guy in some cases there, if needed. If I think it’s catching up to him a little bit, I’ll pull off and put him where he needs to be. Other than that, he hasn’t showed me any of that yet. He’s done really well with it.”

Kelce took some time after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss to the Your League, Your Rules

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Even if his other numbers weren’t up to Kelce’s standard last year, he still caught 97 passes, tied for the fourth-highest total of his career. He still ranked fifth in yardage among tight ends, behind Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, George Kittle and Jonnu Smith. But that happened during a season when Rice and Brown played in only a small fraction of the games.

If they stay healthy, along with Worthy and Gray, Kelce’s streak of leading the Chiefs in catches and yards will likely come to an end at three. That wouldn’t necessarily mean the Chiefs look at his season as a disappointment.

“His numbers won’t be the same,” Veach said. “You have to acknowledge … that he’s older. He’s not 28 years old. But everything runs more efficiently when that guy is out there. He’s still going to demand the attention or at least the occasional eyes of primary defenders just because of his name and his legacy.

“Having Travis on the field makes us better. I don’t know if I look at it in terms of expectations for yardage or touchdowns or catches. When he’s on the field, he makes us better. He’s also a guy who makes the people around him better.”