There are significant changes coming for the Kansas City Chiefs. While they have won 3 Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and have appeared in two others, the team has seen the focus shift from offensive dominance to defensive excellence in recent seasons. Both head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach want to see the offense regain its past prowess in the 2025 season. One of the aspects to that is tight end Travis Kelce increasing his big-play potential.

Some observers would look at Kelce and believe it’s an unlikely scenario since he is 36 years old. However, it may just take a bit of fine tuning and a mental  adjustment to turn Kelce back into an All-Pro player.

Kelce finished as the Chiefs leading receiver last season with 97 receptions for 823 yards but he found the end zone just three times. The big tight end has been a big-play maker throughout his career, so he should be able to regain his top form as long as Reid and Mahomes are determined to make him a featured aspect of the offense.

Veach knows that Kelce is no longer a 28-year-old stud at the top of his game. However, he still has the skills and the know-how to come through when the game is on the line.

“The great ones know how to find it,” Veach said, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “They know where it’s buried, and they know how to access it. And they can’t access it at that age week in and week out, but when they need it, they know how to find it.”

Mahomes remains key to Chiefs offensive production

The Chiefs’ defense stepped up its game during the 2023 season and that led to the team’s third Super Bowl title in a five-year period. That defense was the key to Kansas City’s Super Bowl appearance against the Philadelphia Eagles last season. However, the Philadelphia offense won that battle with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley playing key roles, and Reid has emphasized a need for the offense to get back to an elite level in the upcoming season.

It’s quite clear that Mahomes has not lost any of his ability to make impressive plays and he should be up to the task. He completed 392 of 581 passes for 3,928 yards with 26 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions last season. It would not be a shock if Mahomes steps up and throws 33 TD passes or more and cuts his interceptions to single digits.

The receiving crew of Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown and Kelce should be up to the task of helping Mahomes put impressive numbers on the board this season — as long as that foursome can stay healthy.