Chris Jones Optimistic Travis Kelce Will Return for 2026 Season

Travis Kelce has yet to decide if he will retire this offseason.

Chris Jones doesn’t think Travis Kelce’s gonna retire this offseason. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Chiefs’ closed out a disappointing 2025 season with a 14-12 loss to the Raiders in what could have been star tight end Travis Kelce’s final game.

Kelce has yet to decide if he will retire this offseason or return for the 2026 season, but Chris Jones is confident that his longtime teammate is not done yet. Jones told reporters on Sunday, "I'm not buying it, he'll be back next year."

When a reporter followed up and asked “promise?” Jones replied, "I can't promise you anything about another man. This was a tricky year for us, I have faith in my dawg coming back.”

Chris Jones when asked about Travis Kelce: "I'm not buying it, he'll be back next year." A follow up from @RobCollinsTV -- "I can't promise you anything about another man" :) pic.twitter.com/sPHCSQqBsp

— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) January 5, 2026

Kelce and Jones have been teammates for nearly a decade, since the Chiefs selected Jones in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. They’ve helped Kansas City win three Super Bowls together while becoming two of the league’s most dominant players at their respective positions.

This will be the second straight year Kelce decides if he plans to retire or not. Last year, Kelce didn’t take long to decide that he wanted to come back. Heading into this offseason, Kelce is unsure of when he’ll make his decision of whether to keep playing or not.

If Kelce does return for another season as Jones anticipates, the Chiefs will look to finish his career out on a better note—with Patrick Mahomes back from a torn ACL and another trip to the postseason. If he does decide this is it, Kelce will walk away from the game as one of the best tight ends to ever do it.

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