Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce vowed to head into the 2025 NFL season in the best shape of his life — and the vivid physical transformation his body has undergone this offseason has surprised many, including head coach Andy Reid.

Kelce confirmed he was returning for his 13th season in a text message to ESPN’s Pat McAfee near the end of February, and he laid out a challenge to himself to come back better conditioned in preparation for next season.

“I’m coming back for sure,” Kelce told McAfee. “Going to try to get into the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. “Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and with how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”

Kelce turned quite a few heads back in May, showing off a noticeably slimmer physique at an Amazon event with his brother Jason, and again last month during his first on-field work at Chiefs minicamp.

Making good on his vow to “get in the best shape” he’s been in, Kelce wowed several who watched him run routes and drills at Missouri Western State University during camp this week, including head coach Andy Reid.

“He’s svelte right now,” Reid said, via ESPN. “He’s — it looks like he’s 20. He’s doing a good job. He’s in great shape. And I’m not sure he didn’t come in first on the whole conditioning thing. He was right up front.

“You can see he’s been working out. You saw him yesterday on the long run where he had the burst, and so, he’s doing a nice job. He’s worked hard to get to this spot.”

Kelce, a 6-foot-5 10-time Pro Bowler, was listed at 250 pounds on last year’s roster, and according to the reports, he’s likely closer to the 225-230 range right now.

Having a lighter, more toned physique will likely enable the 35-year-old Kelce to be more dynamic in his route running and allow him to get in and out of breaks more quickly, which is a big win for the Chiefs given Kelce’s explosiveness was the one part of his game that seemed to be lacking last season.