Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes says Travis Kelce not acting like someone who may be going into their 'last ride'

Mahomes said Kelce is motivated to have a big 2025 season

If Travis Kelce's current attitude is any indication of his future plans, Patrick Mahomes doesn't expect his longtime teammate to hang up his cleats after the upcoming NFL season. 

Mahomes, who has enjoyed a historic partnership with Kelce since becoming the Chiefs' starting quarterback in 2018, was recently asked about the 2025 season possibly being the final one for the future Hall of Fame tight end. 

"If it's the last ride, you would never know," Mahomes said of the 35-year-old Kelce. "The way he's talking about football, the way he's talking about working and trying to be even better this year than he was last year. He doesn't seem like a guy that, it's his last ride or he's tired of the job. He's in here, he's working. I know his body feels good. I think it feels better than even last year before going into last season. 

"I think he's motivated to go out there and have an even better year." 

Kelce possibly having extra motivation makes sense when you consider how things went for him in 2024. While it was still a good season by most standards, 2024 was a dip below Kelce's typical output. His 823 receiving yards and three touchdown catches in the regular season represented his lowest totals since his rookie season way back in 2013. 

In the playoffs, Kelce came up big in Kansas City's divisional round win over Houston, catching seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. But he caught just six passes for 58 yards in the Chiefs' final two games of the season. Kelce only caught four passes for 39 years in Kansas City's blowout loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Worse than that, Kelce failed to give maximum effort on several plays; he admitted afterwards that he "wasn't at his best" during Kansas City's 40-22 loss. 

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After a so-so 2024 season, it's clear that Kelce is motivated to return to his dominant self in 2025, regardless of whether or not it will be his last season in the NFL. 

Why this is likely Kelce's last ride

Kelce's flirt with retirement was one of the big stories of this offseason. On Super Bowl LIX's opening night, he was asked where he would be in three years, and his response got Chiefs fans excited.  

"Where will I be in three years? Aw man, I don't know, hopefully still playing football," Kelce said via Fox Sports. "I love doing this, I love coming into work every day. I feel like I still got a lot of good football left in me. We'll see what happens. I know I've been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life, and that's always been the goal knowing that football only lasts for so long. You have to find a way to get into another career, into another profession. I've been doing that in the offseasons, but for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football."

However, just days later, NFL Media reported that Kelce's decision could hinge on the final result of Super Bowl LIX. Some speculated a loss to the Eagles could motivate Kelce to return for a 13th season, while a win and the first three-peat in Super Bowl history could lead Kelce to retire atop the sports world. Kansas City was of course boat raced by Philadelphia, 40-22.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach appeared to spill the beans on Kelce's future at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, telling reporters that he believes Kelce is "fired up" about playing the final year of his contract.

"I think we left it as he'd be back and we're excited to get him back and get him going," Veach said, via Front Office Sports.

Kelce made it official that same week, sending a text to Pat McAfee, which was read aloud on his show.

"I'm coming back for sure. Gonna try to get into the best shape I've been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop," Kelce wrote, via ESPN. "Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and with how I got the guys ready for battle. I can't go out like that!!!!"

In March, Kelce revealed on his "New Heights" podcast that it was actually the Super Bowl loss which motivated him to keep playing. 

"It was probably the biggest factor," Kelce said of his decision to return, per NFL.com. "I mean, it's a pretty cool way to go out, but I just think I would still have this love for the game. ... I think I would have thought about it more if we would've won."

It appears Kelce was definitely considering retirement. Not only does Kelce turn 36 in October, but he had one of his worst statistical seasons in 2024 and is entering the final year of his contract. Odds are, this is probably his last season regardless if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl or not.

Where Kelce ranks all time among TEs

Is Kelce the best tight end in NFL history? There's evidence to support that narrative. Sure, Kelce benefitted from an NFL aerial revolution and played with one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, but he was a versatile weapon himself, and his ability to find the open spaces in the defense is something that has helped the Chiefs win Super Bowls.

As it stands now, Kelce is the best receiving tight end in NFL history. His 69.4 receiving yards per game ranks No. 1 among all tight ends that have played at least 20 NFL games. Kelce also has the most 1,000-yard receiving seasons by a tight end all time with , and the most 100-yard receiving games by a tight end with 38. His 12,151 career receiving yards rank third among all tight ends, but he's played nearly 100 fewer games than the two NFL legends ahead of him. 

Most career receiving yards by a TE in NFL history

Rank	Player	Career receiving yards	Games played
1	Tony Gonzalez	15,127	270
2	Jason Witten	13,046	271
3	Travis Kelce	12,151	175
4	Antonio Gates	11,841	236
5	Shannon Sharpe	9,961	188

How you perform in the postseason is also a major factor when it comes to evaluating the best players of all time, and Kelce has been one of the best playoff weapons ever -- regardless of position. His 2,078 yards receiving in the playoffs ranks second all time behind Jerry Rice, as do his 20 receiving touchdowns in the playoffs. However, his 178 postseason receptions rank first all time.

Kelce is also just one of three players to lead three Super Bowl champions in receiving yards, joining Rice and Michael Irvin, and no duo has connected for more touchdowns in the playoffs than he and Mahomes (18). That's three more touchdowns than Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski scored in the postseason.