Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce might not be playing in the big game on Feb. 8, but he’s dominating some of the NFL headlines on Super Bowl Sunday.

Big questions remain regarding Kelce’s football-playing future and whether he’ll return to Kansas City for a 14th NFL season in 2026. Speculation ran rampant about a potential return to the Chiefs for the 36-year-old after Kelce’s comments on his podcast about the return of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Some even thought Bieniemy might have tipped Kelce’s hand about a decision to return during his introductory press conference.

The reality is that Kelce set a soft deadline to have a plan in place and know what’s in store for his future, retirement or not.

“I think, seeing my brother go through it and seeing, I don’t know, just how the league works, the season kind of restarts in April,” Kelce told reporters in November. “And I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity to, whether I come back or not, and vice versa, like whether they want me back or not. It’s one of those things where I’d like to make that decision before they got to get draft picks and the free agency opens, so that it gives them an opportunity to go out there and fill the roster appropriately. So all that will be at the end of the season, and I won’t be thinking about it until then.”

Chiefs and Travis Kelce have had discussions about a potential return in 2026, with more to come after Super Bowl LX

The latest reports from NFL insiders confirm that the Chiefs want Kelce back for the 2026 NFL season. This should come as no surprise after Clark Hunt’s recent comments about Kelce’s performance during the 2025 NFL season — the organization clearly thinks he’s playing at a high level.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini kicked off recent speculation on Kelce with a report on Saturday that hedged bets on No. 87’s potential return:

“I’m told that while retirement has been discussed, many close to Travis Kelce believe he could return for a 14th season. The future Hall of Famer has yet to make a final decision about his future.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport’s story on Kelce should be what catches the attention of Chiefs fans:

“The perennial Pro Bowler, who had a resurgent 2025 to reassert his place among the game’s best despite being 36 years old, has not made a firm decision on his future. However, he has been in touch with his team about a potential return and Kansas City wants him back, sources say.

“The plan is to reconvene after the Super Bowl to finalize a plan that works for both parties.”

Finalizing a plan, in this context, suggests that a return to Kansas City for the 2026 NFL season is imminent for Kelce rather than retirement. However, both reports seem to protect themselves by saying no “final” or “firm” decision has been made. Money likely isn’t the sticking point here, given that Kelce has traditionally taken very team-friendly contracts with the Chiefs.

With 29 days remaining before the NFL’s free agency period begins, it’s likely that both sides come to an agreement on some sort of plan sooner rather than later.