Could the Cleveland Browns Bring Home a Three-Time Super Bowl Champion Tight End?
With NFL Free Agency set to start in a week, future Hall of Famer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has yet to make a few crucial decisions. At 36 years of age, Kelce is approaching the twilight of his career, and if someone as young as 27-year old former Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman can hang up his cleats out of nowhere, then the veteran Kelce could also be a candidate for retirement. Kelce’s production has seen a significant drop across the past three seasons, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the Chiefs move on to younger options. There’s also the question of whether Kelce himself wants to retire as a Chief; it may seem like the obvious answer, but as his stellar career marches towards its end, maybe Kelce will look to find a team that can give him a larger role and a fulfilling conclusion.
Kelce is a native of Westlake, Ohio, which is just a short 25-minute drive from downtown Cleveland, where he played for and graduated from Cleveland Heights High School. He stayed in-state for college, as he committed to Cincinnati, which jump-started his legendary football journey. With the new league year set to start this month, Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry could look to bring home someone who’s been proud to be from Cleveland his entire career. Kelce has made several appearances in Cleveland throughout his career, whether it was sitting courtside at a Cavaliers playoff game in 2018, or telling GQ Magazine that he once told former Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski he would “die for this city” in a pre-draft meeting. The move from the successful, championship-winning Chiefs to a Browns team that has only won eight games in the past two seasons may not be the most realistic, but it could be a good fit for both Kelce and Cleveland.
The Browns recently departed with tight end David Njoku, who’s leaving Cleveland in pursuit of a winning program after staying with the team through dreadful seasons. Kelce would fit perfectly in the tight ends room and would provide veteran leadership to Harold Fanin, who’s coming off a record-setting campaign in which he tied the Browns rookie record for receptions in a single season. It’s still a mystery as to who will be the starting quarterback for the Browns come Week One, but a strong, experienced pass catcher like Kelce would be extremely valuable for young quarterbacks like Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel. The singing of Kelce also allows the Browns to help improve other positions in the draft instead of spending a draft pick on a tight end in back-to-back drafts. Cap space remains an issue for the Browns, but there is hope that Cleveland will restructure the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson in the coming days, which would free up $40 million for the team to play around with. At his age and production, Kelce would probably command roughly $10 million on a one-year deal. If Kelce can look past Cleveland’s recent struggles, which is asking a lot for a guy who grew up a fan of the Browns, a deal would provide mutually beneficial opportunities for both parties. The Browns get a veteran pass catcher who would help multiple young players on the roster, and Kelce gets the chance to ride off into the sunset with his hometown team.
