Patrick Mahomes accidentally led Chiefs fans to believe Travis Kelce was returning
Since the Chiefs season ended last month, fans have been waiting for any word about tight end Travis Kelce’s future.
Kelce, whose contract expired, could simply say he’s done playing football and retire at the age of 36. Or perhaps he will return to the Chiefs for one last ride with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Fans have looked for clues in what Kelce has said on his New Heights podcast. During one episode, he said Mahomes, who is coming off knee surgery, would do everything he could to return to “the Chiefs” rather than “us” (a sure sign Kelce would retire!).
In another episode, Kelce said he couldn’t wait to see offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy back in the facility (a sure sign he’d be back!).
Mahomes on Wednesday accidentally got Chiefs fans excited about Kelce putting off retirement and returning for one more season. It came with this message on X:
“Let’s go!!!!! @tkelce,” Mahomes wrote, and he included three bull’s-eye emojis.
That had to be a sign that Kelce won’t be retiring, right? Some fans believed it.
“He knows something we don’t,” one wrote.
Another shared this: “HE COMING BACK, GOAT??” with a crying emoji and a prayer one.
“He sure knows something we don’t,” wrote another.
And then there was this: “hell yeah! Let’s go Travis!”
A few shared memes.
Mahomes’ mentions blew up, and he quickly clarified why he was so excited. It was about Kelce taking part in a pro-am golf event.
“Talking about ⛳ ⛳ 😂😂😂,” Mahomes wrote.
Alas, Chiefs fans will just have to continue hoping and praying Kelce will return for the 2026 NFL season.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 3:21 PM.
