Travis Kelce says return to Chiefs was influenced by Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kelce decided to return midway through season after weighing emotions, desire and body.
- Kelce said Mahomes’ rehab didn’t influence his decision; talks with Jones may have.
- Kelce, Mahomes and Jones aim to provide leadership and accountability moving forward.
There apparently was never a doubt in the mind of tight end Travis Kelce that he’d be returning to the Chiefs.
On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce was asked when he knew he’d be returning.
“About midway through the season,” Kelce said.
Kelce’s brother, Jason, asked why Travis waited so long to make it official. Travis Kelce wanted to have a clear head when deciding.
“I’ve made decisions based off of emotions, and, you know, they haven’t always played out the right way,” Kelce said. “So I think taking a step back, letting the emotions settle down. The frustrations from the season, of course, I want to come back. Of course, I don’t want to end my career not making the playoffs, not having one of the best years, and definitely having a down year and all that. So I think taking a step back and letting it kind of build and, you know, what’s my desire? What’s my body feel like?
“How did I feel going into this year versus coming out of this year, and where my body was at. And even letting it kind of settle, it still felt like I was hungry enough to get back at it. And obviously there’s still a little bit of that, that grit and that emotion that, you know, I hated the way that (stuff) ended last year. And I want to do this. I want to make it right. And I want to get another chance at another Super Bowl.”
Kelce said the addition of running back Kenneth Walker III and quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ rehabilitation from a knee injury didn’t affect his decision.
Mahomes is working “his tail off to get back and be at his best,” Kelce said.
Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones react
After news of Kelce’s return broke Monday, Mahomes shared a post on Instagram. And defensive lineman Chris Jones wrote on X: “We’re so back.”
Jones said at the end of last season that he expected Kelce to return.
“He’ll be back next year,” Jones said after the season finale. “I can’t promise nothing, but this year was a tricky year for us and I got faith in my dawg coming back.”
Jones’ prediction may have been based on conversations he had with Kelce and Mahomes late last season. Kelce talked on the New Heights podcast about the Chiefs’ disappointing 6-11 season and how it affected the Chiefs trio.
“I’m just as excited to be joining forces with those two guys, man,” Kelce said. “And I think we all kind of had talks at the end of the season. Like I said, I was always pretty optimistic that I was coming back. A lot of people in the building knew that, but wanted to kind of give it some time and refocus it, and let the Chiefs make some moves and figure out a lot of things first, to make us an all-around better team.
“Then, you know, we kind of talked about some of these things as the season ended, like, man, how are we going to never let it get to this point again? And I think we’re all three, especially us three right there, kind of being at the helm and being here the longest, and feeling like we have the most leadership and accountability on the team in that aspect. Excited to get back to the building with my guys and get this thing cooking.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 8:03 AM.
