Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs officially made a deal to stay together for one more year on Monday, March 9, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes has his thoughts on it. While they can’t sign on the dotted line until Wednesday, March 11, a deal is in place, and, of course, Kelce will get plenty of bag for his extra year with the franchise.
On Monday, March 9, NFL insider Ian Rapoport announced that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is expected to return to the team for his 14th NFL season in 2026. A few hours later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on more details of the deal, stating that the Chiefs are giving Kelce “a one-year, $12 million deal that has a max value of $15 million, per source.”
Kelce wrapped up the 2025 NFL regular season with 76 receptions for 851 receiving yards and five touchdowns over 17 games, according to NFL research, and he averaged 11.2 yards per catch. He was targeted 108 times and had a solid season, although it was off from his peak, of course.
So, what was Mahomes’ reaction to the news that Kelce was coming back? He didn’t take long to tell this world his thoughts on Kelce being back with the franchise for one more year.
Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes Reacts to Travis Kelce News
When the news emerged on Monday, Mahomes was quick to respond. So were Kansas City Chiefs loyalists.
“Solid news for Chiefs fans. Travis staying home for one more season is the right call. Bring on 2026,” one follower said on X regarding the Chiefs news. “Validates his return for the 2026 season after considering retirement or free agency,” another said.
“Kelce and Mahomes getting one more run together,” one more stated. “One of the best players in their franchise’s history is returning. It was expected that if he was to come back and play another year it would be with the Chiefs,” one more said.
As for Mahomes, he let the NFL world know that he’s happy with the move. He immediately took to social media to post a photo of the two in Kansas City Chiefs uniforms, in the tunnel together, plus a photo of them together on the field. He simply captioned it with the arrowhead and Chiefs emojis.
Travis Kelce Indicated Earlier That He Wasn’t Ready to Leave the NFL and Football, and He Stayed Loyal to the Kansas City Chiefs
On the Wednesday, March 4 episode of his “New Heights” podcast with his brother Jason, Randy Moss what he’ll miss most about football whenever he decides to retire. His answer was telling, and it’s obvious that he wasn’t ready to leave.
“I think it’s just those moments in the big games,” Kelce said. “That’s a feeling I know I’ll never get again. Those are the things you cherish the most.”
Well, Kelce won’t have to miss football for at least another year, because the tight end is coming back to the Kansas City Chiefs for another go.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Reacts to $12 Million Travis Kelce News