Whether it is this offseason or not, the Kansas City Chiefs will be making a shift at the tight end position as soon as Travis Kelce decides to hang up his cleats for good and enjoy retirement with his pop star fiancée, Taylor Swift.
While the franchise thought it had taken the first step in preparing for that day, whenever it comes, by selecting Jared Wiley with its fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, it may be time to revisit that line of thinking, as another week has come and gone with the former TCU Horned Frogs standout being a complete and total non-factor.
With Kansas City's season on the brink following its loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, the Chiefs need to take a hard look at this roster and identify which pieces should be around for the long haul and which, such as Wiley, could ultimately be expendable at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign.
Kansas City Has Reached a Crossroads with Reserve TE Jared Wiley
The need for an answer at the tight end position is coming, whether Kansas City's front office and coaching staff like it or not. The more they can do to get out ahead of that need, the better off they will be in the long run. Thus far, Brett Veach has fallen short in his efforts, as Wiley's two receptions for 11 yards in eight appearances over the last two seasons do very little to give fans hope that a replacement for the future Hall of Famer could already be in-house.
Missing on a fourth-round selection isn't as bad as taking a bust in the first three rounds. For a team like Kansas City, which has made a habit of selecting at the end of most rounds due to its success during the Patrick Mahomes era, these draft picks are supposed to be what keep the cupboard from being barren as they fill in the gaps left by higher-priced veterans.
In Wiley's case, there is no reason for concern over a significant cap hit should the front office move on at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign. According to Spotrac, the most beneficial way to do that would be to release Wiley after June 1, 2026, as it would provide the franchise with over $1 million in savings against the 2026 cap, while Wiley's dead cap number would be a manageable $172,155 over the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
At this stage of the game, the Chiefs should cut their losses rather than continue to pay a full salary to a player who has shown no indication of being able to contribute consistently.