While Kyle Pitts may not have been a realistic target for the Kansas City Chiefs, fans often fantasized about the prospect of making him Travis Kelce's long-term replacement. That may no longer be on the table.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Falcons will tag the former first-round pick in an attempt to work out a long-term deal. Not only does that rule him out as a Chiefs possibility, but it may also have cost them Isaiah Likely.
The Chiefs May Not be Able to Afford Isaiah Likely Now
"The Falcons are planning to franchise tag standout TE Kyle Pitts, sources say, keeping their playmaker in the fold on a 1-year, fully guaranteed deal worth more than $15M," Rapoport wrote on X. "The hope is to work out a long-term deal rather than the tag. The two sides have until July to do it."
What does that have to do with Likely? Well, with Pitts no longer being an option, the Baltimore Ravens star has officially become the top tight end entering free agency this season. Per Spotrac, his projected market value sits at $8.8 million, just right behind Travis Kelce and David Njoku, but that number might only go up with Pitts getting the tag. He's also four years younger than Njoku.
As things stand now, the Chiefs are $11.35 million over the salary cap, according to Over The Cap. Even if they release Jawaan Taylor to cut costs, they won't have much money left to spend. As such, GM Brett Veach will probably have to get creative and find another guy.
Likely showed glimpses of being an explosive pass-catcher in the middle of the field when Mark Andrews was unavailable. He's now expected to break out with an expanded role in a team with no competition for touches. In 63 career games (26 starts), he had 135 catches (194 targets) for 1,568 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
The Chiefs expect Kelce to return on a one-year deal, but even if that's the case, they need to plan ahead and figure out how to replace him in the long run. They have the No. 9 pick, but that's too rich for any tight end in this year's class, with Ohio State's Max Klare likely the only feasible option in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
As for free agency, they can probably roll the dice on the injury-prone Noah Fant ($3.22 million AVV) or make a run at aging veterans like Dallas Goedert ($6MM AVV) or Tyler Higbee ($5.35MM AVV) on one-year contracts. But Likely's price point will likely be too expensive for the Chiefs after Pitts got hit with the franchise tag.