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Kansas City Chiefs: Why trading Travis Kelce makes sense

By Chris Taylor

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 03: Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce poses for photographs on the Red Carpet at NFL Honors during Super Bowl LII week on February 3, 2018, at Northrop at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 03: Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce poses for photographs on the Red Carpet at NFL Honors during Super Bowl LII week on February 3, 2018, at Northrop at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The news as of late for the Kansas City Chiefs is the idea of possibly trading away Marcus Peters. Travis Kelce would be a much wiser trade piece.

This may come as a surprise to many, but the idea of trading off one of the best corners in the league before his prime is not the right move. The Kansas City Chiefs would reap the benefits of trading Travis Kelce more than those a Peters trade would reward.

When taking the pulse of Chiefs Kingdom, those who want to trade Peters have a problem with things non-football related. They are upset at his refusal to stand during the anthem, his one game suspension and his altercations and flag throwing on the field. There’s nothing as far as on-field for fans to suggest a trade. Peters is, of course, the biggest defensive playmaker in the league.

Having Peters on the team is almost a necessity. That defense can not afford to lose a playmaker like him. Look at the defense without Eric Berry this past season. Bob Sutton needs all the talent in the world anyways, as Chiefs Kingdom has suggested numerous times.

No doubt a Peters trade would flood the Chiefs with multiple draft picks or seasoned Pro-Bowlers, but imagine if the Chiefs went an entirely different direction.

More from KC Kingdom

Trading Kelce

Travis Kelce is one of the top two tight ends in the game. With Alex Smith at quarterback, there may not have been a better offensive weapon than Kelce in the league. Smith is now gone. Kelce’s future is now in limbo.

Patrick Mahomes doesn’t like to throw to tight ends. He isn’t the type of quarterback that enjoys dumping the ball off to the tight end or fourth option. Mahomes is a down field guy. This means Kelce will be extremely less valuable moving forward.

The Chiefs would save roughly 1.7 million in trading Peters, and do away with having to worry about signing him in the future. However, trading Kelce would save almost 2.1 million towards this years salary cap. Think about that extra 400 thousand the Chiefs could use to help Peters on the defense, or sign that ever-valuable practice squad player.

So in terms of money wouldn’t it make more sense to trade Kelce instead?

Travis Kelce is expendable now. The tight end is no longer a significant position for the Chiefs. Besides winning the money argument, his production is on the decline as well. Kelce caught 83 passes for 1,083 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2017. His touchdown numbers did indeed go up, but his catches, yards, yards per catch, and catch percentage all declined. These stats declined in a season that saw offensive numbers the Chiefs haven’t witnessed in some time.

Perhaps the one thing that jumps out at you is the drops. Travis Kelce dropped five passes last season. Five! That’s more than Albert Wilson had, as well as Demetrius Harris, Akeem Hunt, Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt. Another words he led the team in dropped passes. Imagine that finally being someone else’s problem.

Kelce has been known to throw some fits out on the field as well. He’s been ejected for his behavior, he’s thrown the referee’s penalty flag. Not in the stands like Peters did either, Travis threw that flag at the referee. He could have seriously injured someone. There’s that cheap shot on Buffalo’s Tre’Davious White as well. Wait, that was the other great tight end in the league.

Kelce has become more of a novelty piece in Kansas City. Fans like him more for his end zone dance-offs than his actual play. Reminds me of the fans obsession with Dontari Poe. Even the lackadaisical fan knew who Poe was, not for his defensive play but for his gimmicky touchdowns at the goal line.

With Kelce gone, fans can turn their attention back to the team. His diva ways can now be a problem for some other team, and in return the bounty received for his services will gain a massive return.

Satirically speaking

If you’ve made it this far, I truly hope you have recognized this as satire. If you or someone you  know grew impatiently upset while reading then I believe I nailed it.

For many, this article will make just as little sense as those suggesting the Chiefs trade Marcus Peters. The Peters story has been written a thousand times over without a lick of verification from anyone truly in the know. Even popular media outlets have tried their hand at the story to no avail.

Many people will comment on this piece without attempting to read it, the news of a Travis Kelce trade piece has the same opportunity to grow as the Peters one, like wildfire. Although that’s not what I’m looking for. February Fools. Sometimes you have to play the role of a fool to fool the fools who think they’re fooling you.

Next: Worst seasons in Chiefs history

To those rushing off to find your blood pressure medicine, I sincerely apologize.

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