Travis Kelce‘s retirement plans dominated much of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ offseason chatter. Whilst the future Hall of Fame tight end is not quite the star he was a couple of years ago, he still remains one of the elite tight ends in the game.

And amidst news coming in that Kelce may be “leaning towards” staying, it seems as if things are pointing to the 7 x All-Pro returning to the team after all.

Chiefs’ general manager, Brett Veach, in his combine press conference on Tuesday, outlined his belief that speaking after the Super Bowl, his impression was that Kelce was wanting to stay, stating that the 3 x Lombardi Trophy winner seems “fired up“.

“How we left at the end of the season [two weeks ago] is that he was fired up, he has one more year under contract, still think he has that fire, desire to play. As far as I’m concerned, there is no deadline, I think we left it as he’d be back, and we’re excited to get him back and get him going.”

After Russini’s report that Kelce is likely to stick around in Kansas City, and not retire this spring, it felt like the tide was turning away from his deeply retirement-ambiguous post-Super Bowl remarks on his podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce, called “New Heights”.

An interesting tenet of Veach’s statement was the decrying of the idea that there is a “deadline” for him to make a decision, something that was previously reported to the contrary as being March 14, the day his $11.5 roster bonus is due.

This all points to the fact that barring any late changes or shifts, the 12-year veteran pass catcher will once more suit up and play in front of Chiefs Kingdom this fall.

How Much Good Football Does Kelce Have Left?

Travis Kelce’s days of putting up 1300+ yards in the regular season, and then following it up with 300+ yards in the postseason are probably over, barring some Tom Brady-esque career transformation.

However, with 998 yards across the regular and postseason this past year, there is no question that Kelce is still an elite receiving tight end in the NFL.

With one more year remaining on his contract, it would be surprising to see the former Cincinnati standout sign an extension, lest Kansas City really bring out the chequebook with a purpose.

Perhaps hopes of the legendary “three-peat” are probably over for Kelce, but winning yet another Super Bowl ring is definitely on the table, especially if the team addresses the nagging concern at left tackle in free agency as many expect them to do.

The Chiefs will clearly want him back, both for his on and off-the-field presence – and from what it looks like at this point, they will likely get their wish.