For most of the past decade, the Kansas City Chiefs had one of the best -- if not the best -- tight ends in the National Football League. Travis Kelce's ability to improvise and go off script was second to none, and he was a force to be reckoned with in the open field.
Fast forward to today, and that's clearly not the case anymore. Of course, Kelce is still a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest pass-catching tight end to ever lace them up, but Father Time is absolutely ruthless.
Even if Kelce doesn't retire after this season -- which, admittedly, is a massive 'if' -- he's not getting any younger, and he's not the player he used to be. This isn't much of a surprise, but the Chiefs haven't done anything to brace themselves for the future.
The Chiefs' tight end situation behind Travis Kelce is concerning
The Chiefs can't bank on Kelce returning for another season, regardless of the uniquely structured one-year deal they gave him for salary cap purposes. Behind the 36-year-old, is Noah Gray, who's coming off a horrendous season with just 21 receptions for 178 receiving yards and a below 57% catch rate.
Gray was coming off a breakout season of sorts in 2024. He had 40 receptions on 49 targets for a career-high 437 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The Chiefs should've tried to get him more involved in the passing game to gradually develop him and mold him into Kelce's successor, but that didn't happen.
It's fair to argue that the Chiefs are overvaluing their offensive scheme based on past years' success. General manager Brett Veach got things rolling by signing Kenneth Walker III and bringing back offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, but that may not be enough to bring this team back to the summit.
Even Patrick Mahomes needs more help, and with a wide receiver corps that's thin, flawed, and unreliable, having a trustworthy tight end is paramount. Kelce can turn back the clock and give this team one strong final season, but what happens after that?
It looks like the Chiefs have refused to face the facts and acknowledge that they must overhaul their offense around Patrick Mahomes. Kelce has given them more than enough time to come up with a succession plan, but they haven't done much to ease the transition.
This team was fortunate enough to go from the legendary Tony Gonzalez to Travis Kelce. Now, who'll carry the torch and keep this franchise's tradition of Hall of Fame tight ends going?
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