Travis Kelce ended his 13th season with the Kansas City Chiefs like never before in his career: eliminated from the playoffs in week 15 of the regular season with a poor 6-11 record.
At 36 years old and having completed the final year of his contract, doubts about his future with the team have only increased in the absence of a response from the tight end. However, his latest statements have encouraged fans.
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After a season to forget, Kansas City is restructuring its coaching staff. One of the changes was the departure of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who will seek possible opportunities as a head coach.
However, the Chiefs appear to have quickly filled Nagy’s position, bringing back former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who worked for 10 seasons with head coach Andy Reid in Kansas City. He was the running backs coach from 2013-17 and the offensive coordinator from 2018-2022, and is expected to rejoin the team, according to Jesse Newell and Diana Russini of The Athletic.
After this news broke, and in a new episode of “New Heights” that he hosts with his brother and Eagles legend Jason Kelce, the tight end shared his thoughts on the matter:
“I love that sh***t, I think it’s great,” Travis said. “I think the marriage is going to pick up right where it left off. E.B. and who he is as a coach, you can see kind of his personality, what he brings to this table in that Chicago team.”
“I know [Bears coach] Ben Johnson has his own version of that. He’s a very tough guy. And what he did in Detroit, he brought over as well. And you can see those running backs over Chicago and their body of work was, was definitely an Eric Bieniemy style of football,” he added.
However, the moment that stole the attention of Kansas City fans was when Travis showed his more sentimental side and highlighted him as one of his favorite people and someone he eagerly awaits his return:
“I can’t wait to see him back in the building. He’s one of my favorite coaches of all time, one of my favorite people of all time,” he said.
He also recalled that he experienced unbelievable “growing moments” with him, not only as a player but also as a person. “It’s going to be awesome to see him back in the building and see him back wearing the Chiefs logo, baby,” he concluded.
This video was shared by the podcast’s official X account, but Chiefs fans let the TE know that they also want him back for another season, with messages such as “I fear we are at unprecedented levels of back” and “We can’t wait to see you back in the building Trav.”
Bieniemy comes from coaching the Bears’ running backs in 2025 after stints with UCLA in 2024 and the Commanders in 2023.
Meanwhile, while waiting for Travis’ final retirement decision, the team also has its sights set on its roster for the 2026 NFL season. Free agency begins on March 11, while the 2026 NFL Draft begins on April 23, where the Chiefs will have the ninth pick.
“Who knows?” Kelce said of his potential retirement decision after the Chiefs’ final game of the season. “Either it hits me quick or I’ve got to take some time. Last year was a little bit easier. I think I knew right away I wanted to kind of give this one [year] a shot. We’ll see.”