Former NFL GM Sounds Off on Chiefs' Travis Kelce

The Kansas City Chiefs held their first practice of training camp today, which could mark the final first training camp practice for legendary tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce intends to play out the final year of his current contract with the Chiefs and will address retirement once the season has concluded.

Kelce still has a massive presence for the Chiefs, regardless of the back-to-back down seasons. Going into the new season, head coach Andy Reid already made it clear that Kelce will be used similarly to how he was last season, but will be monitored for declining progress.

That being said, fans should expect Kelce to give it his all during training camp, as he looks to prove the doubters wrong. Many believed Kelce should have hung up the cleats following the Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but alas, number 87 is still an active player on Kansas City's roster.

Several have predicted that Kelce's decline will continue into 2025, regardless of shedding some weight this offseason. According to former New York Jets general manager turned NFL analyst Mike Tannenbaum, the veteran tight end should be utilized in a specific way with the Chiefs this season.

"He will be immensely important (in) touchdowns, third down," Tannenbaum said on ESPN's Get Up. "But I think what Ryan Clark related to the explosiveness of Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown. When Rashee Rice gets back from the suspension, that's where the ball is going to go most of the time. He'll (Kelce) be impactful, just not a lot of volume."

Kelce has been quarterback Patrick Mahomes' main target since Mahomes became the starting quarterback for the franchise back in 2018. The only time that a player receiver more targets than Kelce during the regular season from Mahomes came back in 2021, as Mahomes targeted Tyreek Hill 25 more times than Kelce that season.

Depending on how training camp goes for Kelce, perhaps Tannenbaum's prediction for the Chiefs tight end's workload could become reality. Last season, Kelce scored three touchdowns, which marked a career low. If 2025 is the final year of Kelce in a Chiefs uniform, expect him to be coming up with touchdown celebrations more than three times in 2025.

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