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After weeks of speculation, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has announced his plans for the 2025 season.
When the Chiefs fell short to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59, fans thought Kelce would retire from the NFL. The All-Pro tight end seemed a bit sluggish under the bright lights, which led many to believe that his love for the game has diminished. He even admit on his podcast that he was a bit tired this past season - both mentally and physically.
"The fact that we keep going to these AFC Championships and Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league," Kelce said. "That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body. It’s a lot of time in the building. That process can be grueling. It can weigh on you. It can make you better and it can drive you crazy. Right now, it was one of those things where it was driving me crazy this year. It happens as you tail off towards the back nine of your career."
Despite dealing with so much stress over the past few years, Kelce isn't ready to walk away from the gridiron.
On Thursday afternoon, Pat McAfee revealed that he spoke to Kelce about the 2025 season. The future Hall of Famer told McAfee that he's not retiring this offseason.
"I'm coming back for sure," Kelce told McAfee. "Gonna try and get in the best shape of my life this offseason and get back to the mountain top. I've got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can't go out like that."
We shouldn't be surprised by this announcement. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said earlier this week that Kelce would be back for at least one more ride.
"I still think he has that fire and desire to play," Veach said. "How we left at the end of the season is that he was fired up. I think we left it as he’d be back and were excited to get him back and get him going."
Kelce finished this past season with 97 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns. We'll see if he can put up even better numbers next season.
Of course, all that really matters to Kelce is that he wins the Super Bowl.
More must-reads:
- Colts' QB decision makes no sense, sets stage for wasted season
- New report sheds light on how Cowboys view Micah Parsons situation
- The '2024 NFL rushing TD leaders' quiz
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Changing of the guard: Power ranking 2025's NFL Week 1 QB changes
The Indianapolis Colts announced Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback on Tuesday, making them the 12th team to have a different starting QB from Week 1 last season. Who's better off, and who will regret making a switch? Below, we rank the 12 quarterbacks from worst to best, plus reveal whether each team upgraded or downgraded this offseason. 12. New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough 2024 Week 1 starter: Derek Carr The Saints are the league's only team without a named Week 1 starter. Both candidates have experienced some highs and lows in August, with little separating the two before an informative preseason Week 3 game on Saturday against the Denver Broncos. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 11. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones 2024 Week 1 starter: Anthony Richardson Sr. Richardson's benching signals a massive failure on the part of the Colts front office, led by general manager Chris Ballard, and head coach Shane Steichen, who was tasked with developing the raw prospect into an NFL starter. Over Jones' last 16 starts with the New York Giants from 2023-24, he averaged 186.2 passing yards per game and threw 10 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 10. Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco 2024 Week 1 starter: Deshaun Watson After a successful five-game stint with the Browns in 2023, Flacco, 40, is back for another run. While undoubtedly an improvement over Watson, the 18-year veteran has an alarming 15 interceptions in 13 games (11 starts) over the past two seasons. Verdict: UPGRADE 9. Tennessee Titans quarterback Cameron Ward 2024 Week 1 starter: Will Levis The Titans should expect the natural rookie up-and-downs from Ward, 2025's No. 1 overall pick. Over his first two preseason starts, Ward is 7-of-15 for 109 yards. Still, he's a vast improvement over Levis, who provided more comedic gold than wins last season. Verdict: UPGRADE 8. New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson 2024 Week 1 starter: Daniel Jones Wilson is in the twilight of his career, but the 10-time Pro Bowler, who has 42 touchdowns and 13 interceptions since 2023, has a much higher floor than Jones. Verdict: UPGRADE 7. New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields 2024 Week 1 starter: Aaron Rodgers Fields is a dynamic runner and showed improvement as a passer in six starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. But after signing a short two-year deal in free agency, it's clear there remains doubt over whether he can be a long-term starter in the league. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 6. Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy 2024 Week 1 starter: Sam Darnold McCarthy could be better in the long run than Darnold, but we'd expect the 2024 first-rounder, who missed all of last season with a torn meniscus, to offer fewer rewards than his predecessor early in his career. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 5. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold 2024 Week 1 starter: Geno Smith Darnold was one of the best stories in 2024, ending the year with 4,315 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season. However, his disappointing end to the season and struggles against pressure make it harder to see him as any better than the quarterback he replaces. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 4. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 2024 Week 1 starter: Kirk Cousins Penix was promising in a three-game sample size at the end of 2024, quickly forming a connection with wideout Drake London, who had 22 receptions on 39 targets, 352 yards and two touchdowns during the span. Verdict: UPGRADE 3. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye 2024 Week 1 starter: Jacoby Brissett The plan was always for Brissett to keep the seat warm for Maye, who looked like a potential star in 12 starts last season, ending the year with 2,276 passing yards and 421 rushing yards. Verdict: UPGRADE 2. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers 2024 Week 1 starter: Justin Fields While far from his peak, Rodgers can still sling the football. Per NFL Pro data, he finished last season No. 5 in expected points added per dropback on deep pass attempts (balls that travel at least 20 air yards). Verdict: UPGRADE 1. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith 2024 Week 1 starter: Gardner Minshew Smith completed 70.4 percent of his pass attempts in 2024, two seasons after leading the NFL in completion percentage (69.8 percent). He's proved himself time and time again over the past three seasons and will likely do it again in 2025. Verdict: UPGRADE
Raiders could and should end up being a name at the top of the list of candidates to trade for a former starter looking for a new situation
When you talk about the last 20 years of the Las Vegas Raiders and even the Oakland Raiders, it’s hard not to talk about how much they have come up short on their quarterback decisions. You have to mention the position while focusing on the last two decades. The Raiders have maybe the biggest draft bust of all time in JaMarcus Russell, and Derek Carr, while he was a franchise guy, was never good enough to win a postseason game, let alone get them there more than twice. So, it’s a position that has been pretty polarizing over the last two decades, but not for the right reasons. Getting Geno Smith is about as smart a thing as the Raiders could have done this offseason, considering what the QB market was in free agency and the NFL Draft. However, he’s getting up there in age. Sure, his body may not have a ton of wear and tear on it, but the body still does age. Smith can’t play forever, so while he may be the guy this year and next year, the Raiders will eventually have to address the position again. And that could end up being next offseason, or the one after that, for all we know. And when that time comes, do we really know if the Raiders will be bad enough to have a top pick in the draft to get their next quarterback, and do we want them to continue to get older quarterbacks that we be gone in 2-3 years? The answer is no. So, they could, and should, be a candidate to trade for a quarterback who is in a very unique situation right now, and just needs a new start. Raiders should trade for Colts QB Anthony Richardson I already know what everyone is thinking – don’t you think I know he can’t throw the ball and has made some very questionable IQ plays over the last few years? Yes, I know that, but I’m not asking the Raiders to trade for a guy who is going to come in and be the starter right away. I’m asking them to trade for a guy who needs to sit behind a veteran guy and learn some more. Anthony Richardson was the former No. 4 overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts. He started four games in his first year after getting hurt for the year, and started 11 games last year before, ultimately, getting benched, and he was banged up a bit, too. But, he was taken that high for a reason, and anyone in their right mind can see the potential he has, but everyone should also be able to see the work he needs to do. But first, how did we get here with Anthony Richardson in the first place? And, will the Raiders even be able to trade for Richardson? The Colts made a puzzling decision by naming Daniel Jones the starter over Anthony Richardson ahead of the 2025 season. Now the question everyone around the league will ask is: "Will Anthony Richardson be made available via trade?" It's a good question, and I think normally the player would be, the Colts don't seem to want to do that, though. Richardson could force their hand, though, by requesting a trade. If he does, I think the Colts would have to at least listen to teams around the league. The Raiders would make a lot of sense as a destination with Pete Carroll being someone that many believed was very high on Richardson during his draft process. I think it would still take more draft capital than people realize, just due to the stubbornness of the Colts' decision makers. If I had to guess a fourth-round pick and maybe a player at a position of need, such as S, LB, or a depth offensive lineman. - Destin Adams, A to Z Sports Indianapolis Hear me out: The Raiders want to trade Aidan O’Connell, and he has shown that he may have some potential that hasn’t been tapped yet. But, he is also probably going to be a career backup, and it seems like that is a position the Colts usually need – a backup quarterback. Maybe you test the waters with O’Connell so they are still getting a backup in return, along with another player of sorts, and then a pick, not one too high, though. And, doing this trade makes sense from the standpoint of everything I have already explained about needing a future franchise guy, letting him sit and learn, but also that Pete Carroll is a huge fan of Richardson. And, he has a track record of turning guys around and finding that untapped potential. Now, if the asking price is too outrageous, of course, you don’t do this trade. But if it’s just right, I see no reason why John Spytek shouldn’t pull the trigger on it. Richardson played a handful of college football games at Florida, and he still needs some time to develop. He’ll get to do that behind one of the best pure passers this game has in Geno Smith.
Adam Schefter's latest Micah Parsons update gives Packers fans even more reason to believe in a blockbuster trade
Days after Ian Rapoport reported that the Green Bay Packers would make total sense as Micah Parsons' landing spot if the Dallas Cowboys decide to trade the All-Pro edge defender, Packers fans have gained another reason to believe that a deal is actually possible. On ESPN Radio, NFL insider Adam Schefter mentioned that the Cowboys parting ways to Parsons truly is a realistic scenario. "It sounds like at some point in time—whether that's now, after the season, after two seasons—it sounds like the two sides are headed to a divorce at some time," Schefter said. On the Pat McAfee Show, Schefter said something similar. "These things always can change, and situations often change at the end of August and September. It changed for CeeDee Lamb last year. It changed for Dak Prescott last year. This one doesn't feel that way. It doesn't feel that way today. That doesn't mean it can't change, but the way that it's tracking, it feels more likely that these sides are headed for a divorce today than they would be for a new deal. Now, I don't know that it'll play out that way, but that is what I see when I look at the market, first of all. Now, I don't know whether that means there will be a trade. I think the most likely scenario would be that he's there this year, his contract expires, they franchise tag him, and then after they franchise tag him, then they have the ability to go and try and trade him." Micah Parsons is playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal with the Cowboys, and he will make $24.007 million in 2025. Even though he's slated to hit the free agent market next offseason, Dallas could utilize the franchise tag to keep him around—which would be 120% of his current salary, $28.8 million. Parsons wants a long-term deal with the idea of becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in football, surpassing $40 million in yearly salary. To make that happen, the Packers would have to be willing to spend the combination of high draft picks and the big extension. But at 26 and with his extremely productive profile, Parsons is the type of player worthy of that effort. For now, though, the Cowboys control the cards.
Three-time NASCAR champion to retire after 2025 season
A storied NASCAR career will come to an end after 2025. Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion and 15-time race winner Matt Crafton will retire following the Truck Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, concluding a NASCAR career that has spanned 25 years. Crafton, 49, has spent the entirety of his NASCAR Truck Series career — save for 2004 — with ThorSport Racing. His partnership with Menards has made his No. 88 truck iconic. Following Friday's eero 250 at Richmond Raceway, Crafton has made a total of 585 Truck Series starts and 592 across the top-three series of NASCAR competition. His last Truck Series victory came at Kansas in July 2020. Crafton failed to qualify for the 2025 Truck Series playoffs and will not compete for a fourth title in his final season. 2025 marks the second consecutive year that Crafton has missed the postseason and the second time he's missed it since NASCAR instituted the playoffs in the Truck Series in 2016. Through 18 races in 2025, Crafton is 16th in the Truck Series standings with three top-10 finishes. Defending Truck Series champion and ThorSport driver Ty Majeski will take over the No. 88 in 2026.
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