Travis Kelce plans to return for one final NFL season after being wowed by ruthless Chiefs’ behind the scenes moves
Travis Kelce is set to put retirement on hold again and return to the NFL for one final season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Daily Mail understands the return of popular offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to Arrowhead Stadium has fueled Kelce’s excitement to lace up his cleats again.
The NFL future of Taylor Swift’s fiance has been up in the air ever since the Chiefs played their last regular season game against the Las Vegas Raiders on January 4.
That game brought an end to a miserable season for Andy Reid’s team, which saw them go from Super Bowl contenders to missing out on the playoffs entirely.
But despite his team’s woes, it was still a productive season for 36-year-old Kelce, who refused to express whether or not he was leaning towards retirement in the locker room in Las Vegas.
However, on this week’s episode of New Heights, Kelce dropped a major hint that he would be coming back when discussing how excited he was for Bieniemy’s return.
Travis Kelce is likely to put retirement on hold again and return to the NFL for one final season
Kelce is buoyed by the return of Eric Bieniemy as the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator
And a source has told Daily Mail that Kelce is increasingly likely to be on the field for the Chiefs when September comes around.
They said: ‘Travis is very excited that Eric Bieniemy is coming back to the Chiefs as offensive coordinator as it will jolt the team’s offense back to their glory days.
‘Travis was at his best under Bieniemy’s guidance and that signing has been a huge deal for him, along with wanting to play with Patrick one more time.
‘The back and forth over whether he will retire now looks increasingly likely to fall on him wanting to return. He’s talking to the team, he’s talking to Patrick, Eric and Andy.
‘Travis wants to go out on his terms, he’s wanted to do that all along and it looks like it would now take some serious convincing for him to retire. He is looking to make next season the last year of his NFL career.’
Adding extra intrigue are comments made by TV personality Pat McAfee during his show on Thursday in the aftermath of Kelce’s comments on New Heights.
When his future was up in the air 12 months ago, it was McAfee who read a text exchange with the three-time Super Bowl champion – that confirmed he was coming back – out loud while on air.
On Thursday, McAfee played the clip from New Heights and also suggested that Kelce was going nowhere. The ESPN star said: ‘Has Travis Kelce’s time come and went in the NFL? A lot of people were saying maybe that was what was going to happen.
Pat McAfee revealed last year Kelce was playing on and seemingly did so again on Thursday
Kelce is engaged to pop superstar Taylor Swift and has plenty of offers when he calls it quits
‘Travis Kelce has got a lot going on off the field. He’s got a mega deal with his New Heights podcast where he gets to hang out and talk shop with his brother. Obviously, he and the biggest star on Earth are off and running to get married, start a family and her celebrity is not going down ever, you know?
‘He’s going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s accrued a lot of success, a lot of money for himself. Everything that he has done has been good. Resume certified off the field – very good, right now.
‘So this would be the right time potentially to just go ahead and say: “You know what? I’ll bid you adieu and I will move on.”
‘Then Travis Kelce says this on New Heights and makes me wonder: is the Travis Kelce football show about to enter another era?’
He then played the clip where Kelce, while talking to brother Jason about Bieniemy’s return, said: ‘I think it’s great. It’s a marriage that is going to pick up right where it left off. You can see those running backs over in Chicago – their body of work was definitely an Eric Bieniemy style of football, man.
‘I can’t wait to see him back in the building, man. He’s one of my favorite coaches of all time, one of my favorite people of all time. I just love the guy. It’s going to be awesome to see him back in the building and see him back wearing the Chiefs logo, baby.
‘I’m excited to see him get back in it with the Chiefs, man. Excited to see how everything unfolds next year. It would be awesome to see him back with the Chiefs.’
If Kelce is to return to the Chiefs he will need to sign a new contract, given his current one expires at the end of this season.
Kelce said of Bieniemy on New Heights this week he ‘can’t wait to see him back in the building
He averaged 1,369.4 yards and 10 touchdowns per 17 games over Bieniemy’s five-year first run
He averaged 107.7 receptions, 1,369.4 yards, 10 touchdowns and 75 first downs per 17 games over Bieniemy’s five-year run as Chiefs offensive coordinator.
Age, roster turnover and a number of other factors haven’t helped, but Kelce’s production has noticeably dipped since Bieniemy left Kansas City. Over the last three seasons, Kelce’s 17-game averages dropped to 88.7 receptions, 941.4 yards, 4.6 touchdowns and 50.6 first downs.
Patrick Mahomes’ numbers were also better during Bieniemy’s tenure as offensive coordinator in Kansas City, as his quarterback rating reached an impressive 106. Since then, the three-time Super Bowl winner’s QB rating his dropped to a more pedestrian 92.
Kelce insisted that he wouldn’t be making a decision on his future any time soon, claiming that he would be taking a few weeks to spend time with his loved ones when asked by Jason what the offseason would look like earlier this month.
