Kansas City Chiefs have Travis Kelce backup plan if he is benched – if he can’t step up Andy Reid has decision to make

TRAVIS Kelce is entering what is likely his final season in the NFL, and all eyes will be on his preseason performances.

Training camp opens for NFL teams next week, and it should give us a good indication about how Travis Kelce‘s 2025 season will go.

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FILE – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates after catching a pass during the second half of an NFL football AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)[/caption]

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TEMPE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 08: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs participates in practice prior to Super Bowl LVII at Arizona State University on February 08, 2023 in Tempe, Arizona. The Kansas City Chiefs play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023 at State Farm Stadium. (Photo by Christian […][/caption]

Kelce had the worst year of his professional career in 2024.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end posted career lows in yards and touchdowns with 823 and three respectively.

It was the second consecutive year that he went under 1,000 yards, the first time that happened since 2014 and 2015.

Notably, 2024 was the first time that Kelce fell under 10 yards per reception in the entirety of his career.

He was 35 years old in the 2024 season and will be 36 this year, and last year’s numbers could just signal a natural decline as he ages.

Kelce has indicated that off the field factors played into his downtick last season.

He said he wasn’t focused enough on football and was paying attention to other things like his relationship with Taylor Swift.

“I think the biggest thing is you kind of refocus on where your attention is in the offseason,” Kelce said.

“I think last year, and really the past three years, I’ve had a lot of attention on taking a step away from football to figure out what I’m doing afterwards and make sure I set that up and I’m setting myself up for the future.

“I’ve kind of always had that mentality in the offseason, but I took on bigger projects.

“This year I kind of put all that to the side and I’m like ‘Man, I’m going into the last year of my contract, 13th year… I’m going to make this dream that I’ve always had the best it’s ever been.’

“I think I failed last year in a lot of different ways for my guys on the field, in terms of being a leader and being prepared and ready to rock. [But] I’m motivated to be accountable for the guys man.”

Kelce claims that this year he is going to be more focused on the product on the field, but he is going to have to pass the eye test.

Training camp will be the first indication of if Kelce is all-in on his final season in the NFL.

We need to see if Kelce has gotten himself into good playing shape. Has he gotten rid of the summer weight? Has he put on muscle?

We also need to see if he has lost a step in terms of speed.

Kelce was already looking slow last season, and he could lose even more agility being another year older.

If Kelce doesn’t look up to snuff, Andy Reid is going to have a tough decision to make.

Noah Gray is right behind him on the depth chart and has proven to be a valuable pass catcher for Patrick Mahomes.

If Kelce is holding the Chiefs offense back, Reid can’t be hesitant to move Kelce into a smaller role.

Chiefs training camp begins on Tuesday, July 22.