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Kelce looked slightly hobbled by the ankle issue in the Chiefs’ Week 8 loss to the Broncos, but he played through it and never missed a meaningful number of snaps. A limited session today means he should be good to go for Sunday’s game against the Jets. Kelce’s numbers are down over the past month, but he’s still seeing enough work to be considered a low-end TE1, especially against a weak Jets defense.

The Chiefs suffered their first defeat of the season as they struggled to move the football against the tenacious Seattle defense. Their offense lacked any downfield threat in the absence of their top two receivers, while Xavier Worthy drew primary coverage. Much of Kelce’s aerial work remains tethered to the short areas of the field in his age-37 season, lacking the burst and YAC ability that once defined his game. Kelce moved into sole possession of the No. 5 spot on the NFL’s all-time receptions list, and achieving such a lofty accomplishment is a testament to his standout career. That said, fantasy managers are sure to be disappointed with his early-season production, as the veteran tight end has surpassed a modest four receptions just once through six games. He gets another difficult matchup on the interior against the swarming Broncos defense in Week 8.

He’ll be a reliable TE1, even in a tough matchup against Seattle’s defense, as the Chiefs simply don’t have many other Trusted Mahomes Targets healthy for this one. It’s essentially just Kelce and Xavier Worthy healthy of Kansas City’s main targets.

Kelce should be good to go for the Chiefs’ Week 7 game against the Seahawks. At 37 years old, he does not need to practice fully in order to play, though it would be nice to see him upgrade to full participation tomorrow. If active, he is a locked-in TE1.

Kelce played through an ankle issue in Week 6, catching five passes for 53 yards. Despite not playing at full health, he was still second on the team in targets. Kelce starts out the week as a limited practice participant and it would be a surprise if he misses National Tight End Day this week against the Seahawks.

Kelce was in and out of the lineup in the first half while dealing with a lingering ankle issue. Though he clearly wasn’t 100 percent, Kelce was second on the team (behind Xavier Worthy) in targets and had a 24-yard catch and run reception in the second half. Kelce, who now has nine catches over his past three games, should see more looks from Patrick Mahomes for as long as Rashee Rice (hamstring) is sidelined. He’ll be a top-15 fantasy play in Week 7 against the Seahawks.

Kelce was held in check throughout the entirety of this one and has been targeted just six times in his last two games. Were it not for an 11-yard score in last week’s win over the Dolphins, we would be looking at back-to-back disappointing fantasy weeks for the future Hall of Famer. Kelce and the Chiefs are now heading into their bye week. He could see an increase in targets with Rashee Rice (hamstring) and Tyquan Thornton (ankle) both at risk of missing multiple weeks, but Kelce now has three games on his 2026 ledger with five or fewer targets.

Both Kelce’s catches and targets were his fewest of the young season, though he made them count on an afternoon where Patrick Mahomes dropped back only 25 times. Kelce notched a 48-yard catch-and-run on the first offensive play of the game, then finished off the Chiefs’ last real drive with an 11-yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone. Why he went so long between looks can be a question for another day. Sitting on 231 yards receiving through the Chiefs’ first three contests, Kelce will remain a strong TE1 for Week 4 in Vegas.

Kelce continues to do the bulk of his damage within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage while running a high percentage of hitch routes, but the volume of passing and inside-funnel matchup aided in him eclipsing 100 yards through the air for the first time since Week 8 of 2024. That game also happened to be an overtime win, meaning the only two times since Week 7 of 2023 in which Kelce has gone over 100 yards have gone to overtime. Even so, Kelce continues to be a solid outlet for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and should continue to see games of spiked volume when the Chiefs are pushed, as they were by the Colts. That is unlikely to be the case in Week 3 when the Chiefs travel to Miami to face the Dolphins, where Mahomes will be a shaky TE1 bet in fantasy.

Kelce passed Jason Witten to move into second on the all-time tight end receiving list with a 59-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter. Even so, the veteran tight end lacked any semblance of the burst that once made him a matchup nightmare, slow out of breaks while appearing to take multiple plays off that were not drawn up for him. His once-strong connection with quarterback Patrick Mahomes also looked off on the two incompletions directed his way, both bad misses. It will likely take time for the timing to resurface between the two and Kelce appears unlikely to command meaningful volume, leaving him as a middling TE2 ahead of a soft matchup against the Colts in Week 2.

Today’s session was voluntary and Kelce is entering his 13th NFL season. We would love it if he were there, but we are not worried about his absence. Kelce signed a three-year extension late in March and will once again man the TE1 spot in Kansas City this season. The Chiefs have another three-day OTA run from June 1-3. Mandatory minicamp goes from June 9-11.

The upshot here is that his three-year contract is effectively a one-year deal that will give both sides a chance to decide about 2027 when 2027 comes, but NFL media did a collective spit take when Ian Rapoport reported that Kelce was signing a three-year, $54.7 million contract. To spell it out a little more clearly: The Rotoworld blurb team has as much of a chance of getting Kelce’s $40 million roster bonus in 2028 as he does.

It was reported weeks ago that Kelce was signing a one-year, $12 million contract with the Chiefs. Now, the 36-year-old vet, who was reportedly mulling retirement, is back on a three-year deal that will pay out $12 million plus $3 million in incentives in his first year. It’s safe to say this deal came out of nowhere, but it all but guarantees that Kelce will be a Chief for life as long as he desires to keep playing. Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns last season and continues to be one of the most productive tight ends in the league despite his age.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the deal has a max value of $15 million. 36-year-old Kelce has been declining for several years now, but he was still fourth in tight end yardage (851) last season. He was a more distant 21st in TE yards per route run at 1.47. Kelce appeared particularly dead-legged at the end of the Chiefs’ trying season. He is best utilized as a third down/red zone package player at this point, something coach Andy Reid undoubtedly already knows. Kelce will keep hanging around the TE1 ranks in fantasy, but probably more in the TE8-12 range than TE5-8.

This only came into question last night based on Kelce talking to numerous teams per the reporting of Dianna Russini. But there was never really a doubt that Kelce would leave being a lifelong Chief behind while entering his age-37 season — there’s not an objectively better ring-chasing slot even if he’d wanted to leave. We’re sure that Kelce’s latest contract will be filed with the Chiefs in the near future.

Kelce is set to be a free agent when the new league year begins, and while it sounds like he will be returning for a 14th season, he will likely shop his services to other teams before deciding whether to re-up with the Chiefs. While it would still be surprising to see Kelce play for another team in what could be his final season, there will likely be plenty of teams lining up to speak with the future Hall of Famer. Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns last season on 108 targets. While he’s taken a step back in recent years, his production relative to his position continues to come at a high level. Rumors of potential suitors are sure to emerge once the league’s legal tampering period opens on Monday, which could make for an interesting start to free agency.

Russini says this is “based on conversations with several teams.” She also adds that the Chiefs “remain very much in the mix to re-sign” Kelce, who will be a free agent when the new league year begins this week. Kelce, 36, has been rumored to be considering a return next season over retirement, and this is yet another report that suggests he’ll likely play in 2026. While he will be free to speak with other teams, it would be surprising to see him play for anyone other than the Chiefs if he does return for another season.

Kelce has reportedly been in touch with Andy Reid and the Chiefs in recent weeks after the Chiefs inexplicably missed the postseason. Kelce, 36, has mulled retirement in each of the past three offseasons and seems more serious about the prospect of hanging it up following the disappointment of 2025. “We are prepared for either scenario,” Veach said Tuesday. Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns in 2025. Only five tight ends had more receptions than Kelce and a mere three tight ends had more receiving yards. Kelce ranked 22nd in tight end yards per route run and 14th in yards after the catch per reception.

Reid added that he believes communication is “the main thing” and that he thinks Kelce wants “to move forward.” Reid declined to say whether Kelce gave him a definite answer on whether he wants to return to the Chiefs in 2026, but it sounds like things are trending in that direction. Kelce, 36, has mulled retirement over the last few offseasons, but the prevailing belief of those close to him is that he will return for at least one more season. Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns last season while averaging 11.2 YPR, his highest yards per reception total since 2022.

He’d be entering his age-37 season, but most of the smoke since the end of the season has pointed in this direction. The Chiefs are currently significantly over the cap and would probably need to shuffle some salaries around to get Kelce — an impending free agent — under contract. Kelce himself has reportedly been in touch with the Chiefs about a return, and Dianna Russini reported yesterday that many close to Kelce believe he will return. Rapoport says we should expect clarity “sooner, rather than later” on Kelce’s 2026 status.