Patrick Mahomes strongly hinted that a major reunion is set in Chiefs Kingdom.
Mahomes, 30, shared two photos of himself and Travis Kelce via Instagram on Monday, March 9. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback accompanied the pictures with clock and bow and arrow emojis.
The post is a strong indicator that Kelce, 36, plans to return to the Chiefs after months of uncertainty about the free agent’s future.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that Kelce “is expected to return to Kansas City for a 14th season, a message that’s been delivered to teams who will want him.”
NFL free agency officially opens on Wednesday, March 11.
“Travis Kelce would have commanded top dollar in the TE market,” Rapoport wrote via X. “But he’d rather stay with the #Chiefs, catch passes from Patrick Mahomes, and have a shot at another Super Bowl.”
No deal has officially been announced.
The Athletic reported on Sunday, March 8, that Kelce and his team were willing to listen to offers from “multiple teams.”
Kelce is “expected” to return for another season in the league, The Athletic said, but it wasn’t a “sure thing” that it would be in Kansas City.
As for Mahomes, the quarterback is currently in the process of working his way back from a season-ending torn ACL suffered in December.
When he spoke to the media in January, Mahomes gave an optimistic outlook about his timeline.
“Rehab is going great so far,” Mahomes said. “I’m hitting all the checkpoints that the doctor wants you to do. Getting the strength and range of mobility back. So that’s been going great. Been doing all of it here in Kansas City so far.”
He continued, “I want to be ready for Week 1. The doctors said that I could be. I can’t predict what’s going to happen throughout the process, but that’s my goal. I’ll try to prepare myself to be ready to play in that Week 1 and have no restrictions.”
Mahomes further suggested that he’d like to participate in some capacity at Chiefs training camp, which starts in July.
“I have to take it slow, but at the same time I’ll push to be out there as much as I can be,” Mahomes said. “We have a great plan in place as far as where we want to get to. We have to let it all play out and take it a day at a time, which has been hard for me.”
