Chiefs News 11/22: Travis Kelce will make a decision on future by free agency

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Travis Kelce Gives Timetable on Potential Chiefs Return Decision for 2026 | SI

“I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity, whether I come back or not—or whether they want me back or not,: Kelce said via Nate Taylor of ESPN. “I’d like to make that decision before they’ve got to get draft picks and free agency opens to fill the roster appropriately.”

If he walked away after 2025, Kelce’s legacy as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history would be secure. He has four All-Pro appearances and 10

Pro Bowl trips under his belt, and he is Kansas City’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns, receiving yards and receptions.

NFL Week 12 picks: Upset and score predictions, matchup breakdowns for every game | NFL.com

Why Gennaro picked the Chiefs: Having made five of the past six Super Bowls — collecting three Lombardi Trophies in the process — Kansas City finds itself in completely unfamiliar territory: outside of the current playoff field. Historical data tells us this game could be a crucial turning point, one way or the other. In previous NFL campaigns going back to 1990, teams that started off at 5-6 only made the playoffs 15.4 percent of the time. On the other hand, teams that began the season at 6-5 ultimately hit the postseason at a 43.5 percent rate. So, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Co. need to get right right now. But Kansas City isn’t the only team in this matchup with a growing concern. Yes, Indianapolis has been the NFL’s most pleasant surprise in 2025, vaulting to the top of the AFC South behind the league’s best offense, but everyone’s been waiting for the other shoe to drop on Daniel Jones. And in his last two games, Jones has four interceptions, six fumbles (three lost) and 12 sacks taken. Is “Indiana Jones” turning back into “Danny Dimes,” the mockable turnover machine who wore out his welcome in New York? I’d say the Colts would be wise to put it all on Jonathan Taylor in this one, but the Chiefs have held three of their last four opponents to 60 rushing yards or fewer, yielding an NFL-low 3.3 yards per carry in that span. The chess match between Shane Steichen and Steve Spagnuolo takes center stage at Arrowhead, and I like the four-time Super Bowl champion to rally his defense in a must-win game.

NFL Week 12 picks, score predictions: Chiefs lose third straight game | CBS Sports

Colts +3.5: “I hate picking against the Chiefs at home, but I think I have to do it here. The Colts have a chance to roll into Kansas City and deliver a knockout blow to the Chiefs’ division title chances while also putting their playoff hopes on life support. The Colts will be coming into this game off a bye, which means that the NFL’s leading rusher, Jonathan Taylor, will have had some time to rest his legs, and I’m guessing he needed that rest, because he ran for 244 yards the last time he was on the field.” — CBS Sports NFL writer John Breech on why he likes Indianapolis to hand the reigning AFC champions their third straight loss.

NFL Week 12 schedule rankings: Top 5 Sunday games that can shift the playoff odds | The Athletic

1. Indianapolis Colts (8-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-5)

Colts’ No. 1 seed chances if they win: 35 percent
If they lose: 13 percent

Chiefs’ playoff chances if they win: 67 percent
If they lose: 38 percent

An NFL playoff bracket that doesn’t include Kansas City feels like a stringless guitar or a pool without water. Since 2010, the Chiefs have as many Super Bowl victories as years without postseason berths (3 apiece).

Per The Athletic beat writer Jesse Newell, this team has been stunningly awful in clutch time. Through Week 11, K.C. ranks in the top 10 in offense and defense (both points and yards). Yet several late slips have left it without room for error. We can’t count out Patrick Mahomes, or Chris Jones, or Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo. But the reality of must-win November games is here. Sunday’s matchup is daunting — Jonathan Taylor is No. 1 in rushing yards and TDs, Alec Pierce is No. 1 in yards per reception, and the Colts at large are No. 1 in scoring percentage.

2026 NFL offseason: Early team needs for free agency, draft | ESPN

Chance to make playoffs: 53%
Projected first-round draft slot: No. 21

Biggest positional needs: Tight end and running back. Travis Kelce could possibly retire at age 37, and Noah Gray has struggled this season after looking poised for a breakout. Isiah Pacheco can’t seem to stay healthy, Kareem Hunt will be a free agent, and the Chiefs have gotten nothing out of a one-year deal for Elijah Mitchell. — Schatz

Pending free agent to watch: Jaylen Watson, CB. For the past two seasons, he has been a capable No. 2 cornerback. The Chiefs will likely let Watson, a 2022 seventh-round pick, hit free agency because extending cornerback Trent McDuffie, a two-time All-Pro, is more of a priority. This season, Watson has one interception, a sack and four pass breakups. — Nate Taylor

One draft prospect who could help: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon. Even though Gray has been effective for years as the Chiefs’ TE2, Sadiq has the ability to unlock the downfield aspect of the offense. Coach Andy Reid would be able to use Sadiq in multiple ways, as he can excel as a pass catcher and blocker. — Reid

Around the NFL

Will Brandon Aiyuk Be Released? ‘Stunning Divorce’ with 49ers Reportedly Possible | Bleacher Report

The San Francisco 49ers could cut ties with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in a “stunning divorce,” according to Dianna Russini and Michael Silver of The Athletic.

Per Russini and Silver, Aiyuk has “failed to attend meetings and declined to participate in other team activities in recent months,” leading to the 49ers becoming “increasingly frustrated” with the lack of communication.

“The 49ers, sources say, responded by voiding the guaranteed money in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026, asserting that the absences amounted to a failure to fulfill his contractual obligations,” Russini and Silver reported Friday. “Aiyuk, according to multiple league sources, told NFL Players Association representatives that he did not want to fight the move via an official grievance. That would clear the way for his expected release at season’s end.”

Aiyuk has yet to make his season debut as he continues to recover from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee that he suffered in Oct. 2024.

The 49ers releasing the 27-year-old would be especially surprising considering they handed him a four-year extension worth $120 million in Aug. 2024. The agreement came after a lengthy contract dispute that included him holding in during training camp.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs’ Kristian Fulton and Nohl Williams will play based on matchups

Early in free agency, Kansas City signed veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton to a lucrative two-year contract. A month later, the team drafted California cornerback Nohl Williams in the third round — likely in preparation for Watson becoming a free agent after the season.

Unfortunately, Fulton missed most of training camp as he was recovering from a knee procedure. After returning to start the season, he then left Week 2’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with an ankle injury. For the next few weeks, he was either held out from (or limited during) the team’s practices — and then in the month leading into Kansas City’s Week 10 bye, he was a weekly scratch on game day.

In his absence, Williams’ defensive snap share varied greatly — from as high as 69% in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders to only 7% against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. Pro Football Focus has given Williams a solid 72.6 grade for his limited snaps.

Then in Sunday’s Week 11 contest against the Denver Broncos, Fulton returned to the lineup, playing nine defensive snaps. Williams did not see the field on defense.

Before Thursday’s practice, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo explained how he and defensive backs coach Dave Merritt worked through that timeline.

“We’ve been trying to get him back out there for a month,” said Spagnuolo of Fulton, “but first it was [his] health. Then, when we finally got over that hurdle — when Dave and I talked — it was, ‘Is he ready mentally?’ You’ve got to remember — and this is where I talked to Kristian — he’s been in a tough situation.