Travis Kelce was battling a “pretty big illness” before losing the 2025 Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles, according to the Kansas City Chiefs’ general manager.
Brett Veach revealed the tight end’s health struggles Tuesday while appearing on the “NFL: The Insiders” podcast.
“We’re never gonna make excuses and talk about it, but I mean, yeah, he was battling with a pretty big illness there before the Super Bowl,” he shared.
Veach, 47, quickly clarified, however, that “the way the Eagles played, it wouldn’t have made a difference” how Kelce, 35, was feeling.
The NFL executive did not specify the player’s diagnosis.
Veach also addressed speculation about Kelce’s future with the Chiefs, as the athlete has yet to announce whether he will be returning next season.
When asked whether Kelce was “definitely playing in 2025,” the GM replied, “I think so.”
“There’s been a lot of the timeline and deadlines, and that’s something as an organization we haven’t discussed,” he shared. “We anticipate Travis being back.”
Veach added that he and the Chiefs are “excited to have Travis back,” and they are “operating” with that assumption.
“I think that Travis is excited to come back, and he finds a way to stay in shape and produce at a level only he can,” he continued. “He makes us better when he’s in our locker room and on the field and, again, excited to get him back.”
Veach told The Post later Tuesday that Kelce left this month’s Super Bowl “fired up” to continue playing.
“He has one more year under contract,” he noted. “Still think he has that fire and desire to play.”
Kelce, who reportedly has a March 14 deadline to make a decision, previously admitted he was “kicking everything down the road.”
“Right now the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding that there’s a lot goes into this thing,” he said on his “New Heights” podcast after the Feb. 9 Super Bowl loss.
“I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back then it’s going to be something that is a wholehearted decision; I’m not half-assing it. I’m fully here for them. I think I can play — whether or not I’m motivated and it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”
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