Former NFL GM gives Chiefs surprising advice about future of Travis Kelce

An update shared ahead of this past weekend indicated that tight end Travis Kelce is planning on returning to the Kansas City Chiefs for at least one more season.

This is despite previous whispers suggesting that Kelce could retire before he and entertainment superstar Taylor Swift celebrate their wedding, which reportedly will take place this coming June.

Kelce turned 36 years old this past fall and is on track to reach free agency when the new league year opens on March 11. During Monday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, former NFL general manager and current analyst Mike Tannenbaum shared some surprising advice for the Chiefs regarding Kelce's future.

Former NFL GM wouldn't re-sign "slowing down" Travis Kelce

"I wouldn’t do it," Tannenbaum said about the Chiefs possibly re-signing Kelce, per Chris Franklin of NJ.com. "When you’re in the front office and you’re a head coach, you have to make the honest and sober observation that you want to pay a player for what they’re going to do, not what they’ve done. He is slowing down."

Tannenbaum may be right about the fact that Kelce is no longer the same dynamic playmaker he was when in his physical prime. That said, ESPN stats show that Kelce led the Chiefs for the 2025 regular season with 76 receptions, 108 targets and 851 receiving yards. He, wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and fellow receiver Rashee Rice ended Week 18 sharing the team lead of five touchdown catches. 

Kelce probably shouldn't be the main weapon for any quarterback at this stage of his career, but his numbers from the 2025 season suggest he has more than enough left in the tank to keep playing for an advertised contender. Back in January, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt made it known that he and others associated with the franchise "certainly hope" Kelce keeps playing for the team through at least the 2026 campaign.

Should Chiefs embrace a youth movement over Travis Kelce? 

"When you look at the best tight ends in the game right now, Trey McBride is [26], Brock Bowers is [23] and Sam LaPorta is 25," Tannenbaum continued. "There’s some really good tight ends in the draft like Kenyon Sadiq, Max Klare, Michael Trigg, among others. If I’m Kansas City, go get the next guy. Honor Travis Kelce for what he’s done, but go get the next young tight end and go take care of these other needs like tackle, running back and receiver."

There's no sign that Hunt and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid agree with Tannenbaum regarding what Kelce is and isn't at this point in the future Hall of Famer's career. While it seems as if Kelce is leaning toward running it back with the Chiefs, nothing is official until the two sides put pen to paper on a contract.