Since the end of the 2025 NFL season, there have been two lines of thinking about tight end Travis Kelce's future in the league. Either Kelce was going to ride out into the sunset this offseason and live his life as the future spouse of the biggest pop star on the planet, or he was going to sign a one-year with the Kansas City Chiefs to make one more run at a title and then he'd go live his life as the future spouse of the biggest pop star on the planet. Nothing else made sense.
On Sunday, The Athletic reported that Kelce was leaning toward returning to the league in 2026, but added a very interesting detail: he's expected to talk with multiple teams. While I still feel that ultimately, Kelce's past with Kansas City will win out and he'll be a Chief in 2026, the door is open for him to leave this offseason, especially with the Chiefs having limited cap space available. Where could Kelce end up, though?
New York Giants
This is basically the one landing spot where there's been actual smoke so far. I think we have to take that smoke seriously.
I think the "Travis and Taylor would get to live in New York City" angle is probably a factor here, but a bigger factor is just that the New York Giants have two things working in their favor: a young ascending quarterback and a need at tight end.
I'm not saying that Jaxson Dart is going to pull a Drake Maye and lead his team to a Super Bowl in his second NFL season, but I am saying that the hiring of head coach John Harbaugh suggests that the team is positioned to make a sizable leap next season. Kelce would help with that, as he'd give Dart a go-to option over the middle of the field. He theoretically pairs well with a healthy Malik Nabers.
We also need to add in the Matt Nagy portion of the equation. The Giants hired Nagy, who served as Kansas City's offensive coordinator last season, to be the OC for Harbaugh's G-Men. That familiarity would aid in Kelce's ability to adjust to a new team, and while building chemistry with Dart to the degree he built it with Patrick Mahomes wouldn't be easy, Kelce has been around long enough to figure out that new pairing quickly.
Los Angeles Chargers
Chiefs fans would hate this. HATE IT. If I told my wife right now that I was writing about the Los Angeles Chargers as a landing spot for Kelce, she would pick up one of the Patrick Mahomes Funko Pops from the shelf behind her recliner and she'd throw it at my head. But here's the thing: it makes sense.
Oronde Gadsden II had a good rookie season for the Chargers, but a lot of his production was concentrated over a four-game span.
Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns | |
|---|---|---|---|
Week 4-7 | 24 | 377 | 2 |
Rest of Season | 25 | 287 | 1 |
Gadsden's highs were very good, but consistency was an issue. If the Chargers view themselves as true contenders in 2026, they should at least consider an upgrade at tight end. They wouldn't be giving up on Gadsen by signing Kelce to a one-year deal; they'd just be giving him a little more time to adjust to the league while giving him a chance to learn from one of the greatest to ever play tight end.
We have to at least consider the off-field reasons why Kelce would be interested in Los Angeles. There's the Swift factor, but there's also simply the fact that more than virtually any NFL player, Kelce might have an interest in living in the entertainment capital of the country. He's starred in his own reality show. He's acted in a Ryan Murphy show. A move to Los Angeles could help Kelce start working toward his post-playing career while still giving him a chance to finish his NFL career with another Super Bowl ring.
Seattle Seahawks
The defending Super Bowl champions have a ton of cap space — sixth most in the league at the moment — and currently have A.J. Barner as their TE1. Put those two things together and you see why Kelce would be a good target for the Seattle Seahawks.
2025 | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|
Travis Kelce | 76 | 851 | 5 |
A.J. Barner | 52 | 519 | 10 |
With wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading the way, the Seahawks with Kelce would have one of the NFL's most dynamic passing attacks. That's important with rumors that running back Kenneth Walker will sign elsewhere, as Seattle is already expected to rely more heavily on its passing attack next season.
Seattle might lack the off-field appeal for Kelce that other potential landing spots have, but if what matters at this stage is a chance to compete for a championship, the Seahawks are one of the few teams that would give him a better shot at that than just staying with the Chiefs would have.
Cleveland Browns
I can't imagine Kelce really wants to end his career in a losing situation. There are personal reasons why he might be interested in signing with the Cleveland Browns or Tennessee Titans, but I decided to just talk about one of those teams in depth. (The Titans reason? Swift is from Nashville, but, like...I just don't see that being enough to entice him to join one of the NFL's worst teams.)
Kelce could opt to go back home to Cleveland. If there's one thing to know about Kelce, it's that he's extremely proud to be from Cleveland Heights. A fitting end to his NFL career could be to put on a Browns jersey. Maybe it won't help him win another ring, but it could serve as a full-circle moment, a chance to be a star in his hometown.
And the Browns have to jump at this chance if it presents itself. Cap space remains limited by the Deshaun Watson deal, so adding a high-end talent at tight end for ???????? to throw the ball at a potential discount would be one of the few realistic paths to improving this offense. Like I've echoed a lot here, I don't think this happens, but I don't want to completely rule it out either.