3 Urgent Chiefs Questions Created by Latest Travis Kelce Update

Dianna Russini's report was fittingly cryptic on Sunday afternoon.

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) watch the action against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – To end a week filled with cryptic tweets from Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson, Dianna Russini dropped her own enigmatic post on Sunday afternoon.

It was as confusing as the glass floor at the Big 12 basketball tournament at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.

“Based on conversations with several teams,” Russini tweeted, “TE Travis Kelce appears motivated to return to play a 14th season. The Chiefs remain very much in the mix to re-sign the three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro.”

Based on conversations with several teams, TE Travis Kelce appears motivated to return to play a 14th season. The Chiefs remain very much in the mix to re-sign the three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro. pic.twitter.com/ybzjPfcvYb

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 8, 2026

Conversations with several teams?

If several teams are having conversations with Kelce ahead of Monday’s negotiating window, which opens at 11 a.m. CT, the league office might want to investigate. Kelce is still under contract (his two-year, $34.25 million deal) with the Chiefs, although that contract expires this week. However, until the window opens, any conversations other teams are having with him would constitute tampering.

No one is naïve, though. Those conversations in some form or fashion have to happen; otherwise, Russini, Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport and other insiders wouldn’t be able to immediately tweet agreements and contract numbers in the first minutes of free agency on Monday. Those million-dollar conversations don’t happen with AI.

Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes will try to win their fourth Super Bowl championship together on Sunday. | Corey Perrine / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But if the conversations Russini mentioned are simply her talking to teams, gathering their opinions on what Kelce plans to do, that’s different. If that's the case, it also creates another question, though.

How many millions of dollars apart are Chiefs, Kelce?

Everyone has an agenda in the NFL, whether agents or team personnel. There’s a motive behind every tweet and every report. If Kelce’s camp isn’t happy with initial discussions on his next Chiefs contract, Russini reporting that the Chiefs are simply “in the mix” might be a signal to Brett Veach that Kelce wants more money or he’ll leave to sign with another team.

Dec 20, 2010; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre (4) during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images | Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

After all, Joe Montana finished his career in Kansas City. Brett Favre finished in Minnesota. There’s a long list of Hall of Famers who left the team with which people most remember them.

Are the Chiefs really just 'in the mix?'

Kansas City needs to be careful, unless the Chiefs subscribe to the advice some have floated that the Chiefs should simply move on from Kelce. The draft has a few enticing tight-end prospects, including Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq.

But if the Chiefs want him back, and they should, they need to ensure Kelce feels valued, and be open to compromise. Kelce, who turns 37 in October, obviously isn’t in the same boat as impending free agents like Watson or safety Bryan Cook.

Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (29) celebrates with tight end Travis Kelce (87) after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants in the fourth quarte at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Kelce’s current value is a big question mark. Some models base his average annual value at more than $10 million. Other observers wouldn’t pay him more than $7 million in what’s very likely his final NFL contract. Whether the majority of the league agrees with that is irrelevant because the league operates in capitalism.

Until Kelce re-signs with the Chiefs, he’s free to sign with another team. And all Kelce needs to leave is a team – just one club -- to offer him more than anyone else. That’s the definition of free agency.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) looks toward the crowd before taking the field for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Dec. 31, 2023. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A fair base salary, signing bonus and easily attainable incentives seem like the best route for the Chiefs to ink Kelce and move on to the next task on their long offseason to-do list.