Chiefs Will Keep Contending Even as Travis Kelce Tiptoes Into Retirement

Chiefs Will Keep Contending Even as Travis Kelce Tiptoes Into Retirement originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Travis Kelce era in Kansas City is essentially over. He’s told us that in many ways. Most recently in a GQ profile that felt like the beginning of a retirement tour. But anyone who thinks this means the end of the Chiefs dynasty doesn’t understand what makes them special in the first place.

Kelce’s expanded media career has become a focal point for those who are tired of K.C.’s success and expect an imminent decline. Despite finishing 15-2 last season and reaching the Super Bowl, the Chiefs sit behind the Bills and Ravens in odds to win the AFC. A surprising number of analysts aren’t even picking them to win the AFC West, a division they’ve won nine times in a row. 

Kelce has been an enormous part of what Kansas City has accomplished.  The bad news for the rest of the NFL is that the Chiefs have already shown their ability to redefine themselves. When they traded wide receiver Tyreek Hill at his peak, some people thought it signaled a rebuild. Kansas City went on to win the next two Super Bowls.

Here are six reasons the Chiefs will keep winning Super Bowls despite Kelce’s long, slow goodbye:  

1. Kelce’s Role Already Has Been Diminished

The GQ story is exactly why Chiefs fans shouldn’t be nervous. Kelce admitted that he hasn’t been himself over the past two seasons. In 2023, his streak of seven straight 1,000-yard seasons ended. Last season, he fell off even more with career lows in receiving yards (823) and touchdowns (three). The team results haven’t changed much. They won the Super Bowl two seasons ago and got back to the game last season. 

“I think I might have slipped a little bit,” Kelce told GQ, “because I did have a little bit more focus in trying to set myself up. And opportunities came up where I was excited to venture into a new world of being an actor and entertainer. ... I feel like these past two years haven’t been up to my standard.” 

There were games last season when Kelce was primarily a blocker or a decoy. The Chiefs won those games. If you look at the actual production, Kelce will not be hard to replace.

Travis Kelce's 2024 statistics

Late in his career, Kelce has distinguished himself in the postseason. Last year, that superpower went away. He was outstanding in the divisional round against the Texans, but only had four catches for 19 yards in the AFC Championship Game win over Buffalo. Then he was no-show in the Super Bowl. 

Even if Kelce tries to hold on and play past the 2025 season, Kansas City is comfortable marginalizing his role and will find new ways to move the ball. That’s because of who they have at quarterback. ... 

2. Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes’ career trajectory has followed closely to Tom Brady’s. Just like Brady, Mahomes won three titles early in his career. Brady kept winning championships even as the pieces around him changed. There’s no reason to think Mahomes won’t be able to do the same thing. 

Last season, Mahomes showed his ability to do more with less. With Kelce not on his A-game and injuries throughout the receiving corps and offensive line, Mahomes still found ways to win. According to The Athletic, he accounted for a league-high 72.5% of the offense’s yards while hitting 18 different receivers and leading seven game-winning drives.

Brady had his best statistical season with Randy Moss in ’07, and Mahomes probably won't ever duplicate the success he had with Hill in ’19. But like Brady, Mahomes is all about winning. His personality might hide the fact that he’s an absolute killer. And like Brady with Bill Belichick, Mahomes is paired with exactly the right coach. ... 

3. Andy Reid

Throughout his coaching career, Reid has used the tight end as a major part of the offense. But he’s not beholden to having that position be a primary weapon. He will scheme open whoever he has. Or he will shift to the run game when it helps him win. If anything, expect Kelce’s decreased production to challenge Reid. Even as he gets older, he keeps innovating and changing his offense.

Reid’s eventual retirement is a bigger threat to the Chiefs’ dynasty than Kelce leaving. But he’s 67 and has said he has no imminent plans to call it quits. He looks healthier than he did earlier in his career and shows no indication of losing interest. Reid doesn’t seem like a person who has hobbies other than football. 

Reid isn’t even old compared to the coaches in his own division. Raiders coach Pete Carroll is 73, while Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and Broncos coach Sean Payton are both 61. Coaching isn’t just a young man’s game, and Reid could easily stick around for close to another decade.

Reid has 273 career regular-season wins, and Don Shula’s record of 328 is within reach. That, along with his partnership with Mahomes and general manager Brett Veach, is enough to keep Reid motivated. And he has a lot of help. ... 

4. Defense

When the Chiefs traded Hill, they used the first-round pick from the Dolphins to take cornerback Trent McDuffie at No. 21 and used their own pick on defensive end George Karlaftis at No. 30. Their defense has been transformed because of those two players and several other factors. Their overall team defense improved from No. 27 in ’21 to No. 11, No. 2 and No. 9 over the past three seasons. 

A lot of the credit goes to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who easily could have been poached by another team. Luckily for the Chiefs, teams are looking at offensive coordinators for most head-coaching spots. Spagnuolo is 65 and could finish his career with K.C.

“As long as they continue to let Spags be our defensive coordinator,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones told reporters during Super Bowl week, “and not hire him as a head coach, we’re going to continue to win.”

Once again, the parallels with the Patriots dynasty are unavoidable. In New England, defensive-minded Belichick became more focused on offense. And the offensive genius Reid has shown he’s happy to lean on Spagnuolo and the defense. That being said, don’t expect the offense to take a back seat for long. .... 

5. Wide Receivers

Leave it to the Chiefs to take a position that was a weakness and quickly turn it into a strength. The Bills might have made a critical mistake by trading Kansas City the No. 28 pick on the night of the ’24 draft. Buffalo needed a fast receiver and let Texas speedster Xavier Worthy go to the Chiefs. 

Worthy started off slowly but came on strong in the postseason. He caught six passes for 85 yards and a TD in the AFC title game and then was the lone bright spot in the Super Bowl, totaling eight catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Worthy will eventually have a talented running mate in third-year receiver Rashee Rice, although he's facing a likely suspension for his role in a Dallas car crash. He started to become a go-to target for Mahomes during his rookie season in ’23. Last season, he surpassed 100 yards receiving in two out of his first three games before injuring his knee. While Worthy will be the burner, Rice can fill in as the high-reception guy once Kelce is gone.

The beauty of Reid’s offense is you never know when he’s going to hit you with random playmakers. JuJu Smith-Schuster has proved to be a reliable option in games when the ball flows his way. Former Patriots second-round pick Tyquan Thornton has been a training camp standout who is bound to have a big play at some point.

Now that they have speed on the outside, the Chiefs need to protect Mahomes long enough so he can get them the ball. ...

6. Addressing their Achilles' Heel: The O-line

Once again, the NFL gifted K.C. a solution to one of its most persistent problems: the offensive line. Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons only fell in the draft because he tore his patellar tendon last October. He wasn’t expected to be ready to go immediately. But he’s been a full participant in camp and started the first preseason game. 

Simmons has earned high praise from Mahomes. “The sky’s the limit,” Mahomes said on FanDuel TV's Up & Adams. “He has a chance to be one of the best there is at that left tackle position.”

The Chiefs strengthened the middle of the line by signing center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith to extensions this offseason. And they added veteran tackle Jaylon Moore to help fill out the line and provide insurance if Simmons struggles. 

The reasons to fade Kansas City are already thin. And this offseason they made them even thinner. Kelce’s career may be winding down, but the Chiefs aren’t going anywhere.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.