The money is tempting. Surely, there is a desire to leave on a better note.
As Travis Kelce ponders whether he will return for a 13th NFL season, all the Chiefs, his teammates will try to provide one more reason for the tight end great to play another season.
During an appearance on FS1, Kansas City defensive end Charles Omenihu, himself a free agent, made his pitch for his teammate of two years to run it back after they were crushed, 40-22, by the Eagles in Super Bowl 2025.
“This would be my message to Trav: ‘Big dog, we — the whole organization — can’t go out like that,’” Omenihu said on “The Facility.”
“He’s a Hall of Famer from the moment he says, ‘I’m done.’ But I think Trav has a lot left. I think Trav is an extreme competitor. I think he’s somebody that loves the game. And I think in the storied career that he’s had, going out like that, in my opinion, wouldn’t be something that he would do.”
“So, I believe that he’ll be back.”
Kelce is 35 years old in a sport in which active players rarely reach their mid-30s, has a lucrative podcast career and a girlfriend in Taylor Swift who could occupy more of his time.
He has not yet committed to playing another season or announced his retirement, saying recently he is “just kicking everything down the road.”
He probably has another month to consider his options, due an $11.5 million roster bonus on March 14.
Kelce is a three-time Super Bowl champion and at least in the conversation for greatest tight end of all time. There is not much more for him to prove, but Omenihu tried to entice his teammate by pointing out that the Chiefs — who have been to five of the past six Super Bowls — will be better next season. (Even if there is no guarantee Omenihu will be back in Kansas City next season.)
“We have guys coming back on that team that — Rashee [Rice, the injured wide receiver] is going to be back — that’s going to help out the offense,” said Omenihu, who had one sack and nine tackles in three games this postseason. “Whatever holes that the team has, coach [Andy] Reid and [GM] Brent [Veach] do a great job of getting on top of it real quick. They’re not going to overlook anything that may have been a reason why we didn’t come out on top.
“It’s going to be a retool, refuel and get back to it. And we have Pat [Mahomes], so you know for a fact that you’re going to be in the dance.”
