The Kansas City Chiefs went to the Super Bowl for three straight seasons, but they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles this time around. One player who may have played his last down in the NFL is Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
They are going to be giving him until March 14 to decide whether or not he will be back with the team next season. It remains to be seen what the 35-year-old star tight end will do. Kelce has nothing else to prove in the NFL.
NFL.com Writer Matt Okada Thinks That Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce Could Be Released This Offseason
NFL.com writer Matt Okada wrote about many different AFC players who could be released this offseason. One name to watch for in this regard is the Chiefs star tight end. Okada said:
“Yes, this is absurd. Cutting a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest playoff pass-catcher in NFL history? Nonsense. Right?! Well, not necessarily. Assuming Travis Kelce doesn’t retire this spring, the Chiefs could probably restructure his contract to make it work until he does hang up the cleats. But it’s not impossible that they let him go for a whopping $17.3 million in cap savings, considering the 35-year-old has now posted consecutive seasons with fewer than 1,000 yards and had just eight receiving touchdowns in 2023 and 2024 combined (not counting playoffs, of course). Kelce’s efficiency has plummeted these last two years, and it might be time for Kansas City to move on (if he doesn’t do so himself). Again, this would be crazy, but Kansas City has split with legendary tight ends amidst solid production before (SEE: Gonzalez, Tony).”
Travis Kelce will turn 36 during the middle of next season if he does indeed return. He caught 97 passes for 823 yards receiving and three touchdowns, along with averaging 8.5 yards per reception. Kelce was targeted 133 times this season.
It would be interesting to see who the Chiefs would find at tight end next season if they released him or if he retired. This will be one of the biggest stories this offseason.
Drafting a Tight End
If they do release Kelce or if he retires, it appears as if the Chiefs will look to draft a tight end 31st overall in the 2025 NFL Draft or later. Tyler Warren of the Penn State Nittany Lions would be gone by the time Kansas City drafts. Colston Loveland from the Michigan Wolverines is another tight end who could be drafted in the first round and he could go toward the end of the first round.
Outside of the offensive line, a tight end will be the number two need. Noah Gray doesn’t appear to be the long-term replacement for Travis Kelce.
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