Travis Kelce Insisted He Wasn’t ‘Going Out Like This’ After Chiefs Struggled Last Season, Team’s GM Says
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Travis Kelce told Chiefs general manager Brett Veach he wasn't "going out like this" during his exit interview at the end of the last season
- Veach shared details of his conversation with Kelce on an episode of The Schrager Hour on March 31
- Head coach Andy Reid also felt confident that Kelce would return for another season with the Chiefs, Veach said
Travis Kelce told the Chiefs he wasn't happy with the end of their last season.
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach revealed the conversation he had with his star tight end after the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs last season and said Kelce insisted he wasn't "going out like this."
"I think there was more doubt in the middle of the season," Veach said of Kelce, 36, potentially retiring on an episode of The Schrager Hourreleased on Tuesday, March 31.
Veach said that once the Chiefs concluded their season, following quarterback Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL, Kelce said something to him during an exit interview that implied the tight end would return for another season.
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Travis Kelce on Nov. 27, 2025 in TexasCredit: Stacy Revere/Getty
"Travis basically said, 'I'm not going out like this, let's stay in touch,' " Veach revealed, noting that Kelce had apparently said the "same thing" to head coach Andy Reid.
Veach said he spoke to Reid after the exit interviews, and recalled the head coach told him, "Did you talk to Trav? I think he's going to play again."
Veach said the Chiefs organization "gave [Kelce] his space" after the interviews, but they were hopeful he'd return.
Veach also noted that Mahomes and Kelce are "connected at the hip" and said there's "an element of Pat going through his rehab and Travis being there for that" to Kelce's decision to return.
"I think once he'd left the facility after those exit interviews, there was a sense that he's coming back and let's just let him do what he needs to do, and that's kinda how it worked out," said Veach.
Kelce, who recently enjoyed a boys' golf trip with 49ers tight end George Kittle, signed a one-year $12 million deal with the Chiefs to play next season.
"Let’s get this thing rockin!! 🏹🏟️," he wrote in the caption of a post on Instagram confirming his return.
Read the original article on People