Andy Reid provides update on 'communication' with Travis Kelce amid retirement rumors

With NFL free agency looming, Travis Kelce’s future in Kansas City remains the big question for the Chiefs. Rumors continue to swirl about potential retirement, and Andy Reid said Kelce has maintained dialogue throughout the offseason.

Reid provided an update on the talks with Kelce, who’s weighing whether to return for the 2026 season with the Chiefs. He previously said a decision would come before free agency kicks off in early March, but nothing has come down either way.

Reid said Kelce has been in regular communication with the Chiefs while making his decision. That, he said, bodes well for both sides while figuring out what could be next.

“There is communication,” Reid said, via ESPN’s Nate Taylor. “That’s the main thing. I’ve said this before: As long as there’s communication, I’m good. That means people want to move forward. I think that’s where Travis is.”

That said, Reid made it clear he wasn’t trying to speak for Kelce at all. Considering his achievements with the Chiefs, Reid said Kelce deserves as much time as he needs to figure out what he wants to do.

“I’m not trying to put words in his mouth at all, and I try to give him some space here,” Reid said. “He’s been doing this a long time, and he can sort all that out as he goes forward. But we’re proceeding with that.”

Travis Kelce ‘being just a regular human’ for now

Kelce is coming off his 11th straight Pro Bowl appearance in his 13-year career with the Chiefs. He totaled 76 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns in 2025, marking his second straight year below the 900-yard mark. From 2016-22, Kelce rattled off seven straight 1,000-yard seasons and had 984 yards in 2023 as he missed two games.

In early January, Travis Kelce said on his New Heights podcast that he wanted to take some time to decide what lies ahead rather than rush to a decision. He also made things clear to Chiefs staff members in exit meetings about where his mind was entering the offseason.

“As every season ends for me, I put my feet up, and I just be a human. Just being a regular human for a couple weeks, maybe a month or so, trying to figure out what I’m gonna do next in terms of my future in football,” Kelce said. “And I think, you know, I’ve talked to a few people in the facility already, you know, having the exit meetings and everything, and they know where I stand at least right now.”